Increased Security for U.S. Mosques after Bombing in Minnesota
The act has since been named an “act of terrorism.”
The Dar Al-Farooq Islamic Center in Minneapolis is used to threatening emails and phone calls, but the “improvised explosive device” thrown through a window of their facility has really frightening.
The explosive device, deemed “improvised” by the FBI was thrown through a window of the worship center around 5 a.m. on Sunday morning. No one was injured in the incident, but the device did blow out the window and damage a room inside the center.
Gov. Mark Dayton denounced the attack saying “not in Minnesota.”
“This is an act of terrorism,” Dayton said. “This is against the law in America.”
A U.S. Department of Homeland Security statement on the Bloomington explosion says the department "fully supports the rights of all to freely and safely worship the faith of their choosing and we vigorously condemn such attacks on any religious institution."
The Minnesota chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, or CAIR, said its national office is urging Islamic centers and mosques to step up security.
"If a bias motive is proven, this attack would represent another in a long list of hate incidents targeting Islamic institutions nationwide in recent months," said Amir Malik, the local chapter's civil rights director.
The reward for information leading to an arrest or conviction has grown to $24,000, said Asad Zaman, director of the Muslim American Society of Minnesota.