According to a report from KSTP, the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives responded with the Minneapolis Police Department (MPD) after a fire broke out in a mosque Monday night, the second of two mosques to experience fire in the past two days.
MPD Chief Brian O’Hara confirmed the “suspicious fire” at the Masjid Omar Islamic Center located at 912 24 Street E on Sunday.
On Monday, a second fire erupted at the Mercy Islamic Center on Bloomington Avenue shortly after O’Hara met with Council Member Jamal Osman and the Imam, the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), and staff from Masjid Omar Islamic Center. The MPD responded to the scene immediately.
O’Hara also said the MPD is assuming both fires are connected until proven otherwise.
No injuries were reported in either fire.
On Sunday, security at the Masjid Omar Islamic Center extinguished a trash fire in a bathroom prior to fire crews’ arrival. The Minnesota chapter of the CAIR-MN said a man went into the mosque with flammable liquid and started the fire. The organization then produced a photo of the fire which shows a gas can and some charred debris inside a bathroom stall.
In a statement, CAIR-MN Executive Director Jaylani Hussein says he wants the incident to be considered as a potential bias-motivated crime. CAIR-MN is now offering a $5,000 reward for information leading to the suspect’s arrest.
On Monday, Minneapolis Fire Department (MFD) crews were dispatched to a three-story building near 27th Street East and Bloomington Avenue. The MFD said smoke was showing from the roof of the Mercy Islamic Center. Fire crews then discovered a fire on the top floor and evacuated the building, with several people, including children, on the second floor. The MFD put out the flames without them spreading to other floors. In addition, the structure was affected.
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