Two suspects charged in North Carolina mosque attack threat

Two individuals have been charged with making threatening phone calls to a mosque in North Carolina last month.

The two suspects, a 19-year-old and the other a minor, have been arrested and charged with communicating threats concerning multiple phone calls to the Islamic Center of Charlotte, according to local news reports.

The two males, both from South Carolina, made anti-Arab and anti-Muslim comments, including, "I'll blow you worse than 9/11."

Following the threats, rights advocates, including the Council on American Islamic Relations, called for a hate crime probe. This week, they welcomed news of the charges.

"We welcome the charges in this disturbing case and hope that if the suspects are convicted, they will be given an opportunity to learn about the American Muslim community and about why threats to any house of worship are unacceptable," said CAIR's national communications director Ibrahim Hooper in a public statement.

These recent threats come at a time of widespread threats and attacks on mosques across the US. CAIR has compiled a booklet of best practices for mosques to address such incidents, which includes security measures for prevention and building interfaith alliances and support networks in local communities.