Police Monday arrested a suspect accused of spray painting the walls of a mosque in Philadelphia with words like “Jesus Christ.”
NBC Philadelphia reports police took Johnathan Boone, 47, into custody after identifying him from surveillance video taken late Friday night at Masjidullah – The Center for Human Excellence mosque in the West Oak Lane neighborhood of Philadelphia.
The Council of Islamic American Relations in Philadelphia welcomed word of the arrest.
” The outpouring of support from the community has been overwhelming. Masjidullah stood in the face of Anti-Muslim hate but by no means did we ever stand alone,” said Imam Idris Abdul-Zahir, resident imam of Masjidullah. “Thank you to PPD – 14th District for the swift arrest. Special thanks to our Christian & Jewish friends for their unwavering support.”
Metro Philadelphia reports Boone, a Germantown man, is also suspected of painting crosses and the Stars of David onto the mosque.
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He’s been charged with criminal mischief, institutional vandalism, possession of an instrument of crime and criminal trespass.
“We were totally shocked by what we saw,” Masjidullah Center for Human Excellence resident Iman Idris Abdul-Zahir said.
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