Guilty plea in arson that destroyed mosque in Joplin

JOPLIN, Mo. -- A Joplin man pleaded guilty Monday to setting a fire that destroyed a mosque and twice trying to burn down a Planned Parenthood clinic.

Jedediah Stout, 32, entered the plea in U.S. District Court in Springfield, Missouri, after waiving the right to a grand jury, The Kansas City Star reported.

The building for the Islamic Society of Joplin burned in August 2012, about a month after another fire was set at the building.

Stout confessed to setting fire to the mosque after he was arrested in 2013 for twice trying to burn down the Planned Parenthood clinic in Joplin. Prosecutors said he threw a backpack containing flammable liquid onto the clinic's roof and lit a rope attached as a fuse. The clinic doesn't provide abortions. Court documents state police saw Stout walking on railroad tracks after the second Planned Parenthood arson attempt. Officers noted he was sweating profusely, had a cigarette lighter in his pocket, and his hand smelled of fuel.