Another Minnesota mosque attacked, FBI investigating as hate crime

The attack late last week on a mosque in Minnesota, which the FBI is now reviewing as a hate crime, is the latest in a state that is seeing a proliferation of such crimes.

The incident occurred Thursday when two people broke into the Islamic Center of Saint Cloud, one of the main mosques in the area, located about an hour's drive from Minneapolis. 

They ransacked the premises, smashing a window, damaging floor tiles and leaving beer cans and cigarette butts inside the mosque. They also reportedly stole two copies of the Quran. They also left a note in blood.

"They didn't care about the sanctity of our space," Jaylani Hussein, executive director of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, told The New Arab.

The two perpetrators, a man and a woman from the Minneapolis area, both in their 20s, were arrested within hours of the attack after they'd dropped their hotel room keys around the crime scene.

"I'm really concerned that this has just happened again. When I got the text, I thought someone was asking about the other mosque," said Jaylani, referring to one in Minneapolis, which had been attacked just days earlier."

Right now, he said, "We are increasing our support for institutions, and we're looking to make sure security protocols are increased. Most importantly, we want to know why these attacks are coming."