Man charged with hate crime in mosque fire
Grand jury accuses man described as an extremist of a hate crime in blaze
A Victoria man is indicted on federal hate crime charges in connection with an act of arson that destroyed a mosque and Islamic community center.
VICTORIA — A suspect accused of setting a fire that destroyed the Victoria Islamic Center in January has been indicted by a federal grand jury on a hate crime charge and other allegations.
U.S. Attorney Abe Martinez stood alongside federal, state and Victoria authorities Thursday as he announced that a federal grand jury here had returned a three-count superseding indictment against Marq Vincent Perez, 25. He’s charged with one count of a hate crime regarding damage to religious property, one count of using fire to commit a federal felony and another count of possession of an unregistered destructive device.
“We feel safe in that they’re working very hard on the case,” said Osama Hassan, the imam of the Victoria Islamic Center, referring to the multiple law agencies involved. “From us, and our community, we forgive him, but we believe that the law should take place.”
Authorities arrested Perez less than a mile away from the mosque grounds March 3 on a charge of possession of a destructive device; he was accused of taping together several fireworks and setting a car on fire Jan. 15.
Perez was not initially charged with any crime related to the mosque. Shortly after the arrest, court testimony described Perez as an extremist who was having trouble adjusting after he spent several weeks in the U.S. Air Force. He attended high school in Victoria, and he has one son, who was born in January.
Martinez said Thursday that
evidence indicating Perez had been in the mosque was found shortly after his arrest. He declined to specify what evidence they found, saying that could jeopardize the investigation.
Prosecutors charge Perez burglarized the mosque Jan. 22 and again Jan. 28, when he allegedly started the fire, with the intent of destroying the mosque.
According to testimony, Perez didn’t hide his disdain for Muslims and took several steps to carry out his planned actions. Officials said they could not confirm whether Perez acted alone because of the ongoing investigation.
In total, Perez could face up to 40 years in prison and up to $750,000 in fines.
He is still in custody, officials said.
“This is a pretty major undertaking that requires the help of everyone around here,” Victoria Police Chief Jeffrey Craig said at Thursday’s news conference. “I think it has taken an awful lot to get here today. It certainly has been an event that was important to us and our community.”
Edward Michel, assistant Special Agent in Charge of the FBI, said he hopes the cooperation of law enforcement will encourage victims of hate crime to reach out to authorities for help.
“We want this to be a deterrent to anyone else thinking about doing something like this in the future,” he said. “We are here. Don’t do it.”
Michel said that officers are still gathering evidence in the case. He added that anyone with information regarding the burning of the mosque should call the FBI at 713-693-5000 or report anonymously online at fbi.gov.
“In a large portion of these crimes, someone saw something or heard something,” Michel said. “We welcome the public to help us. We can’t do this by ourselves.”
Dr. Shahid Hashmi, president of the Victoria Islamic Center, said that the indictment is a step in the right direction, and that now they’re awaiting the trial.
Victoria is about 125 miles southwest of Houston.
Since the fire in January, the mosque has hired a security guard to stand by during larger gatherings. An architect is working on a design for the new mosque.
“We’re anxiously waiting. We can’t wait to get into the new building,” Hashmi said. “But it won’t be the same.”
Having spent so much time building and creating a community in the previous building, Hashmi said, mosque members won’t forget what they lost.
Looking forward, however, Hashmi said cooperation from the city and authorities has bolstered their confidence and security. An online fundraiser for the Victoria Islamic Center quickly raised more than $1 million to rebuild the mosque in the weeks following the fire.
“The support of the community, the openness and discussions with the authorities who have been involved with back and forth dialogues, that has helped,” he said.