- Oct 17, 2011
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The first fire struck Masjid Omar Islamic Center, a mosque in a shopping center known locally as the “Somali Mall,” on the evening of April 23, according to an affidavit. A mosque employee told investigators he found a man setting a cardboard box and a gasoline can ablaze in a bathroom stall. The employee said he chased the man away, and the fire was put out before spreading outside of the bathroom.
The next night, smoke began to billow from the third floor of the Masjid al-Rahma mosque a few blocks south of the Somali Mall. Flames engulfed a hallway in the mosque and originated from a pile of debris and another can of gasoline, according to the affidavit. Mosque staffers rushed to evacuate the building, including about 40 children from its first-floor day care.
On Sunday, the U.S. attorney’s office in Minnesota announced that Jackie Rahm Little had been arrested and charged with arson. Little, 36, of Plymouth, Minn., who also goes by the name Joel Arthur Tueting, is additionally accused of sending harassing messages to and vandalizing the office of a member of Congress earlier this year, court records state.
Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) said Monday that the vandalism occurred at her Minneapolis office.
The next night, smoke began to billow from the third floor of the Masjid al-Rahma mosque a few blocks south of the Somali Mall. Flames engulfed a hallway in the mosque and originated from a pile of debris and another can of gasoline, according to the affidavit. Mosque staffers rushed to evacuate the building, including about 40 children from its first-floor day care.
On Sunday, the U.S. attorney’s office in Minnesota announced that Jackie Rahm Little had been arrested and charged with arson. Little, 36, of Plymouth, Minn., who also goes by the name Joel Arthur Tueting, is additionally accused of sending harassing messages to and vandalizing the office of a member of Congress earlier this year, court records state.
Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) said Monday that the vandalism occurred at her Minneapolis office.
