Two men accused of spraypainting profanity about Allah and leaving strips of bacon around the Islamic Center in Murfreesboro, Tennessee have been indicted on vandalism charges, reports Newschannel 5.
According to a federal grand jury indictment, 19-year-old Charles Dwight Stout, III, and 18-year-old Thomas Avery Gibbs both tried to conceal their identities.
The Huffington Post reports Stout went as far as to wear a World-War II-era Nazi gas mask. However, authorities said both were identified by security camera footage which caught them in the act.
“When we are confronted with acts of hate it is incumbent upon every American to speak loudly and clearly that we will not tolerate such actions in America,” Jack Smith, the acting U.S. attorney, said in a statement earlier this month. “Our reaction to such acts of hate speaks to who we are as individuals and as a society.”
Hundreds rallied in support of the Center after the incident.
The Islamic Center of Murfreesboro responded with joy to the news of the indictments.
“We always believe that justice and truth prevail in our beautiful country and we put our trust in God first and in our law enforcement agencies second,” the Center said. “Racism and hate have no place and cannot be tolerated in our beautiful city, great county, state, and country. This great news comes on a Friday, a special day that is celebrated by Muslims all around the globe.”
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