Washington DC mosque receives bomb threat causing evacuation of hundreds

A mosque in Washington, DC received a bomb threat during a Friday, 18 August,  sermon last week, causing an evacuation of hundreds of congregants, which the police classified as a hate crime.

The imam at Masjid Muhammad (also called the Nation's Mosque) was in the midst of giving a sermon on Friday when he was approached with news of a bomb threat, leading to an immediate mass evacuation of the mosque. Worshippers found refuge in a church garden across the street.

The police department then arrived at the mosque, where they thoroughly searched the building and found no indication of a bomb. Nevertheless, they classified the threat as a hate crime.

The Sunni mosque, located in the city's downtown, mainly serves African Americans and is considered an important religious institution in Washington, DC. 

Though bomb threats in the US capital are not unusual, threats and attacks on mosques are uncommon. In general, it is unusual for mosques to receive threats while full of worshippers.

In light of the recent bomb threat, the Council on American-Islamic Relations are urging for stepped-up security at the mosque.

The threat to Masjid Muhammad came as law enforcement agencies throughout the US are investigating similar fake bomb threats targeting synagogues, according to a press release by CAIR.

"The targeting of houses of worship with threats of violence must never be tolerated in a just society," said CAIR's national communications director Ibrahim Hooper. "We stand in solidary with the Masjid Muhammad community and thank law enforcement authorities for their swift and professional response to the threat."