Minnesota mosque hit by thrown explosive

BLOOMINGTON, Minn. - Someone apparently threw a bomb through the window of a suburban Minneapolis mosque on Saturday as people were preparing for morning prayers, damaging the imam’s office but not causing any injuries, authorities said.

Minneapolis police said a preliminary investigation shows a destructive device caused the explosion and that the FBI has taken the lead in the investigation. An FBI spokesman didn’t return a phone message Saturday seeking details about the investigation.

The blast happened at around 5 a.m. at the Dar Al-Farooq Islamic Center in Bloomington, south of Minneapolis. Worshipers managed to extinguish the blaze before firefighters arrived, the Muslim American Society of Minnesota said.

A witness reported seeing something being thrown at the imam’s office window as about a dozen people gathered for morning prayers, said Asad Zaman, the society’s director. Zaman described it as a firebombing, the Minneapolis Star Tribune reported.

One worshiper saw a pickup truck speeding away afterward, said Mohamed Omar, the center’s executive director. He said the mosque primarily serves people from the area’s Somali community.

The Minnesota chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations is offering a $10,000 reward for information that leads to an arrest and conviction in the bombing.