Police Arrest Man Suspected In Burglaries, Mosque Vandalism
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- Minneapolis police arrested a 56-year-old man they say was involved in a series of burglaries, including one that included vandalism at a mosque.
Police say Edward Zahi Moses Saad has been taken into custody.
Investigators believe he was connected with 10 burglaries in as many days in a four-block area of Lake Street near 3rd Avenue.
"It was very important to us to locate this suspect," Minneapolis Police Inspector Michael Sullivan said. "It was very apparent that he was preying on particular businesses in this area."
Among those burglaries was an incident at the Umatul Islam Center. There, surveillance cameras caught a man breaking doors and windows in the mosque and stealing equipment and files. The damage estimate there was more than $5,000.
"I don't have any indication that he targeted any specific group," Minneapolis Police Sgt. Jarrod Kunze said.
On Sunday, the Gov. Mark Dayton and Lt. Gov. Tina Smith came to see the damage at the Umatul Center and expressed their disappointment.
Saad has been charged with burglary, possessing marijuana, and driving while impaired. Investigators say his name has turned up in about 170 police reports in the city over the last few years, for a variety of reasons.
