Hate crime probe urged in North Carolina mosque threat

Rights advocates are urging for a hate crime probe following a threatening phone call to a US mosque this week.

On Tuesday, a mosque in North Carolina received a phone call in which the caller promised a 9/11-style attack.

“I’ll blow you worse than 9/11,” said the caller in part of the recorded call that was shared with local media. The rest of the call is filled with anti-Muslim and anti-Arab remarks.

“Law enforcement at the state and national level should investigate the apparent threat to the Islamic Center of Charlotte as a hate crime and take appropriate action,” said Edward Ahmed Mitchell, national deputy director of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, in a public statement. 

“If the caller has indeed apologized for his actions, that is a welcome first step, but this person must also face accountability for violating the law just like anyone else who threatens a house of worship.”

The recent threat to the Islamic Center of Charlotte came as mosques across the US are facing waves of repeated threats and attacks. CAIR has urged mosques to take extra precautions.