One of the main suspects in the firebombing of a Jewish school in Montreal has pleaded guilty to arson. In exchange, the conspiracy charge against him has been dropped.

Sleiman Elmerhebi, now 19, made the plea in a Quebec courtroom on Thursday.

The arson "was an emotional response," Elmerhebi told the court. "I was reacting to acts of violence in the Middle East that I saw on television."

Three people were originally charged in connection with the April attack on the United Talmud Torahs school. Charges were dropped against one man in October because of lack of evidence.

Elmerhebi's mother Bouba Elmerhebi Fahd, 36, is still facing a charge of being an accessory after the fact for allegedly helping her son travel to Brazil after the incident.

Her lawyer was out of the country and she will return to court at a later date. She is free on $10,000 bail and is forbidden from contacting her son.

Evidence read in court said Elmerhebi's arrest was prompted by police wiretaps and surveillance. He was tracked by police after tanks of kerosene found at the school were traced back to a Canadian Tire store where the manager confirmed Elmerhebi was an employee.

Store surveillance cameras and receipts confirmed him as the buyer of the tanks. Receipts were also found in Elmerhebi's home when it was searched by police.

Although Elmerhebi's family has pleaded for leniency, B'nai Brith regional director Bill Surkis said he deserves a stiff sentence.

"I would certainly hope and expect that there would be something in that sentence that would act as a deterrent to anyone else who would consider that they could do this sort of thing," he said.

When the school was firebombed last April, a note left at the scene claimed the attack was in retaliation for Israel's killing of Hamas spiritual leader, Sheikh Ahmed Yassin.

The fire destroyed the school's library. and sparked international outrage. Although no one was injured, books and computers were destroyed and the library's walls damaged.

"We must utterly condemn this cowardly and racist act and draw together to fight such an abomination," Prime Minister Paul Martin said at the time.

The loss even struck a chord with actor Russell Crowe, who was in Canada making a movie. He reportedly donated an undisclosed sum to help the library recover from the blaze.

The library reopened last week, after a $600,000 restoration, stocked with books donated from around the world.