The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), the nation’s largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization, today welcomed charges brought against a Spotsylvania County, Virginia, man in connection with an alleged bomb threat made against the All Dulles Area Muslim Society (ADAMS) Center.
According to the Loudoun County Sheriff’s Office, law enforcement officials arrested 50-year-old Adam Sawyer on September 19 following an investigation into a comment posted on the ADAMS Center’s Instagram page. The comment indicated an intent to deliver an explosive device to an event hosted by the mosque. Sawyer has been charged with one count of Threats to Bomb.
In a statement, CAIR National Executive Director Nihad Awad said:
“We welcome the quick and coordinated action by the Loudoun County Sheriff’s Office, the Spotsylvania County Sheriff’s Office, the Virginia State Police, and the Fairfax County Police Department in identifying and apprehending a suspect in this disturbing case. Threats targeting places of worship strike at the core of religious freedom and public safety. We urge law enforcement authorities to consider appropriate hate crime charges if the evidence demonstrates a bias-motivated intent, and we advise all Islamic institutions to remain vigilant and maintain strong security protocols.”
CAIR is calling on Muslim community leaders to utilize its current resources to help keep religious facilities safe:
SEE: Best Practices for Mosque and Community Safety Guide 2026
Earlier today, CAIR’s Michigan chapter welcomed charges brought against a Roseville woman who allegedly threatened violence against a local mosque and Dearborn Mayor Abdullah Hammoud.
CAIR’s latest civil rights report documented 8,683 anti-Muslim bias complaints in 2025 – the highest number ever recorded by the organization since it began publishing civil rights reports in 1996.
Washington, D.C.-based CAIR recently said it has documented 17 incidents targeting Islamic places of worship in May, June, and July to date. The 17 incidents represent 51 percent of the previous year’s total and a 183 percent increase over the same three-month period last year, during which CAIR documented six such incidents.
BACKGROUNDER: CAIR recently responded to a number of anti-Muslim hate incidents nationwide.
CAIR welcomed law enforcement’s decision to pursue hate crime charges against a suspect accused of harassing community members, uttering anti-Islamic threats, and attempting to break into a Washington state mosque.
CAIR also welcomed the federal indictment of a Thornton, Colorado, man who allegedly made violent threats against American Muslims, law enforcement, judges, federal agents, and Muslims.
CAIR’s Michigan chapter called on law enforcement and the Oakland County Prosecutor’s Office to pursue all appropriate charges, including applicable hate crime charges, against a man who allegedly threatened to kill four Muslim men outside the Troy Public Library while reportedly armed with a handgun.
CAIR’s national office recently welcomed the federal indictment of a Utah man on a hate crime charge for allegedly stabbing a Muslim man at the West Valley Mall in West Valley City, Utah.
At its annual gala in Washington, D.C., CAIR recognized the three men who were killed saving countless lives when they confronted two white supremacist gunmen during the May 18 terror attack on the Islamic Center of San Diego.]
CAIR’s national office said Indiana Lieutenant Governor Micah Beckwith’s escalating anti-Muslim rhetoric, including comments made marking the anniversary of 9/11, incites anti-Muslim hatred and put American Muslims at risk of violence.
CAIR called on law enforcement authorities in West Virginia to step up security in the area of mosques and Islamic institutions and investigate a reported online threat to “kill” Muslims in that state.
CAIR’s Ohio chapter welcomed federal charges filed against Wyatt Brzoska, a 20-year-old Valley City man accused of posting online threats and planning a violent attack against a mosque in Columbia Station, Ohio.
CAIR’s New York chapter condemned the reported harassment of Muslim minors outside a mosque in Albany, New York
Other recent anti-Muslim incidents:
CAIR welcomed the reported indictment of a Winston-Salem, N.C., teen allegedly connected to the May 2026 white supremacist terror attack on the Islamic Center of San Diego.
CAIRexpressed support for an Indiana restaurant manager who reportedly stood up for a young Muslim employee after a customer allegedly made anti-Muslim comments about the employee’s hijab and reportedly said that Muslims “scare” her.
CAIR welcomed an arrest of a suspect in an allegedly bias-motivated spitting attack on a Muslim woman in Kentucky.
CAIR’s Maryland office condemned the reported harassment of multiple Muslim women wearing Islamic headscarves, or hijabs, at a market in Montgomery County.
CAIR’s Los Angeles office condemned the violent online threats responding to an online anti-Muslim smear campaign targeting the Islamic Center of Irvine (ICOI).
In New York, CAIR called on local, state and federal law enforcement authorities to investigate reported hate vandalism targeting a mosque site on Long Island as a possible hate crime.
CAIR’s Florida chapter welcomed charges for an alleged plot to carry out a mass shooting at a mosque.
Its Michigan chapter welcomed federal charges against an Alaska man accused of making threats to injure and murder Dearborn Mayor Abdullah Hammoud and issuing violent, Islamophobic threats against Muslims.
Its Pittsburgh and Philadelphia chapters welcomed the City of Erie’s response to reported threats targeting the local Muslim community and urged authorities to remain vigilant in protecting residents from anti-Muslim hate and intimidation.
CAIR’s mission is to protect civil rights, enhance understanding of Islam, promote justice, and empower American Muslims.
CAIR’s mission is to protect civil rights, enhance understanding of Islam, promote justice, and empower American Muslims.
La misión de CAIR es proteger las libertades civiles, mejorar la comprensión del Islam, promover la justicia, y empoderar a los musulmanes en los Estados Unidos.
END
CONTACT: CAIR National Deputy Director Edward Ahmed Mitchell, 404-285-9530, [email protected]; CAIR Government Affairs Director Robert McCaw, 202-742-6448, [email protected]; CAIR National Communications Director Ibrahim Hooper, 202-744-7726, [email protected]; CAIR National Communications Manager Ismail Allison, 202-770-6280, [email protected]