SUSPECT ARRESTED IN MINNESOTA MOSQUE FIRE

A suspect was arrested on suspicion of arson after a fire last week at a mosque in St. Paul, Minn., at least the fifth such act of vandalism in the state so far this year that has left members of the Muslim community “living in fear,” a state senator said.

Jaylani Hussein, the executive director of the Minnesota chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, said at a news conference that the mosque, the Oromo American Tawhid Islamic Center, was “completely burned” after being set on fire on Wednesday.

The building was unoccupied at the time, and no injuries were reported, the St. Paul Fire Department said.

The suspect, Said Murekezi, 42, was arrested Thursday and booked on suspicion of arson, the St. Paul Police Department said.

Murekezi, who told the police he is Muslim, said he was protesting homelessness, according to charging documents. Murekezi told the police that if he hadn’t been caught, he would “torch another one” or attack a church, the documents said.

The attack comes after a spate of other acts of vandalism against Islamic houses of worship in Minnesota.

Three weeks ago, a window was smashed at the Oromo American Tawhid Islamic Center, the documents said. On May 12, another mosque in St. Paul was vandalized when someone smashed its doors, Hussein said. No one has been charged in either of these cases.

In April, Jackie Rahm Little was charged with arson after setting fire to two mosques in Minneapolis. In one case, he was interrupted in the act, according to court documents. In the other, a mosque representative told investigators that the fire caused tens of thousands of dollars of damage.