Thompson says surveillance video shows a “white or Hispanic male” walking toward the building carrying a bottle containing liquid and some paper.
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The mosque issued the following statement on its Facebook page: It is with a very heavy heart that we have to announce that last night around midnight, there was an arson attack on our Mosque.
Speaking at the scene, Major David Thompson told reporters officers “don’t want to speculate on the motive for the possible arson attack”, but added the date of the incident – close to the 15 anniversary of the 9/11 attacks in NY – “is in the back of our minds”.
Monday also marks three months since the June 12th mass shooting at Pulse nightclub, during which 49 people were killed and at least 50 were injured.
A fire at the Florida mosque where Pulse nightclub shooter Omar Mateen had prayed was deliberately set, the St. Lucie County Sheriff’s Office said.
Thompson says given the circumstances – the 15th anniversary of the September 11 attacks and the beginning of the Muslim holiday Eid al-Adha – officials believe the intentionally-set fire could be a hate crime.
Wilfredo Amr Ruiz, Florida’s director of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, decried what he called escalating violence directed at the center. The mosque is on a fairly busy two-lane road in a neighborhood.
The Florida mosque where Omar Mateen, who committed the deadliest mass shooting in USA history, prayed was damaged on Monday in an arson attack, investigators said.
Since the shootings and revelations of Mateen’s ties to the Islamic Center, the congregation has received threats.
“Video captured at the Fort Pierce Islamic Center shows an individual approached the east side of the building just moments before a flash is seen and the fire starts”. In July, a member was beaten outside the mosque. It was the worst mass shooting in USA history.
Sheriff’s officials added that they planned to release the surveillance footage and will appeal to the public for help in identifying the person responsible.
The sheriff’s office, St. Lucie County Fire District, the Division of State Fire Marshal, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Federal Bureau of Investigation are all investigating the case.
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Thompson says it’s too early to tell if the fire was an accident or was intentionally set. Firefighters extinguished the fire and there was no word about how much damage the fire caused. He was asked if he thought Sunday’s 15th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks could be a factor.
