FBI Buru Suspect in Explosion at Minnesota Mosque
The FBI pursued the suspect in an explosion at a mosque in Minnesota where worshipers were gathering for morning prayers. The FBI is
investigating whether the explosion is a hate crime.
An explosion occurred at Dar al-Farooq Islamic Center on the outskirts of Bloomington, Bloomington, on Saturday morning according to Bloomington Police Chief Jeff Potts. A room in the mosque was broken, but no one was harmed.
Mohamed Omar, the executive director of the Islamic Center, said a member saw a pickup truck drove from the scene shortly after the explosion. He added that the mosque had received threatening phone calls and emails in the past.
Richard Thornton, the special agent in charge of the Minneapolis FBI Division, said the explosion appeared to be caused by an assembled explosive device. The FBI rediscovered the device from the scene.
The FBI is now looking for the person responsible for the explosion, and trying to find out if it is a crime of hatred.
"At this point, our focus is on determining who and why.Is this a crime of hatred? Is this an act of terror?" Thornton said at a press conference as quoted by the Independent on Sunday (06/08/2017).
The FBI has so far interviewed witnesses, sent evidence to the laboratory, and collected video data and mobile data for analysis.
Bloomington Police thanked the FBI and the community as a whole for their help. "Thank you Bloomington community for your words and support today.We will always be here for you & will give you the best of our ability," the thank-you note was a Bloomington Police Twitter account.
Secretary of Homeland Security Elaine Duke is also aware of the situation, and is in touch with the federal and local government.
"The Department of Homeland Security fully supports the right of all people to freely and securely exercise their chosen faith and we strongly condemn such attacks against any religious institution," DHS said in a statement.
"We are grateful that no injuries, but that does not diminish the serious nature of this action," the statement said.
The number of anti-Muslim hate crimes is almost double this year compared to the same time period in 2016, according to the Council on American-Islamic Relations. The council documented 35 attacks on the mosque in the first three months of this year.
