Police Investigating Vandalism To St. Paul Mosque As Possible Hate Crime

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) – The Minnesota chapter of the council on American-Islamic Relations – CAIR Minnesota – called authorities to investigate a possible bias motive for vandalism and burglary to a St. Paul mosque.

A worshiper at Darul Iman mosque found a white male inside the mosque Saturday morning. The suspect appeared to be trying to steal laptops.

Worshipers found a trail of broken glass and apparent hate crime messages on the whiteboard inside of the religious leader's office.

The suspect fled the office when he was found.

Graffiti included "Merry Xmas" and references to Jesus and God.

Mosque officials believe there to be $5,000 to $7,000 worth in damage.

"These types of incidents serve to increase safety concerns for the Minnesota Muslim community," CAIR-Minnesota executive director Jaylani Hussein said in a statement.

Hussein added that CAIR Minnesota will work with the community to increase safety measure of mosques and community centers.

St. Paul police say they will increase patrol of Darul Iman and other mosques in the area as well as reach out to the community.

A GoFundMe page has been set up to support repairs of the mosque, click here to donate.

Related: CAIR-Minnesota Calls For Hate Crime Probe Of Attack On Minneapolis Mosque.