The Minnesota chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) is calling for a bias-motive investigation into arson at the Masjid Omar Islamic Center in Minneapolis on Sunday.
According to a press release from CAIR, Muslim community leaders say that a white man started a fire in the bathroom at the mosque around 7 p.m. Minneapolis police said in a Facebook post that when they arrived they found evidence of a small fire in the bathroom. The fire had been extinguished before emergency services came to help.
Minneapolis Police Department is asking for the public’s help in identifying the suspect. They’ve shared photos of the suspect on social media.
The MPD said this is an open investigation. Muslim community leaders are calling for the police to investigate a possible bias motive.
“If not for the actions of the worshipers, this disturbing incident could have resulted in injuries or even deaths,” CAIR-Minnesota Executive Director Jaylani Hussein said in a press release. “We thank fire and law enforcement officials for their response and hope that a motive for this arson attack at a house of worship may be determined.”
“Given past incidents targeting state mosques and Islamic institutions, we urge law enforcement authorities to investigate a possible bias motive for this crime.”
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