The Florida chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-FL) today called for a hate crime charge against a California teen who threatened to shoot up a mosque in Seminole County.
The suspect is set to go before a judge in connection with an incident in which he allegedly called the Masjid al-Hayy mosque in Seminole and said he was going to shoot up the mosque before playing audio of gunfire. Police arrested the suspect and extradited him to Seminole County on Tuesday. Investigators believe he may be connected to other similar incidents across the country.
SEE: Swatting call targeting Sanford mosque lands California teen behind bars in Seminole County
“We urge law enforcement authorities to pursue hate crime charges against the suspect in this case,” said CAIR-FL Executive Director Abdullah Jaber. “No religious community should be subjected to this kind of harassment and intimidation.”
He noted that this week, CAIR National released new civil rights data showing that it has received 3,578 complaints during the last three months of 2023 amid an ongoing wave of anti-Muslim and anti-Palestinian hate.
SEE: CAIR: New Data Shows the End of 2023 was a ‘Relentless’ Wave of Bias, Community Resilience is ‘Impressive’
CAIR’s Best Practices for Mosque and Community Safety guide can be accessed here.
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CONTACT: Wilfredo Amr Ruiz, CAIR-Florida Media and Outreach Director, Ph. (305) 502-6749, E: [email protected]