Story highlights No one was injured in the explosion, authorities say

Department of Homeland Security condemns attack

(CNN) A homemade explosive device appears to have caused a Saturday morning explosion at a mosque in Minnesota, authorities said, and the FBI is taking the lead in the investigation.

Authorities in Bloomington said no one was injured in the blast at the city's Dar Al-Farooq Islamic Center.

An improvised explosive device caused the explosion, the FBI office in Minneapolis tweeted Saturday afternoon.

From #FBIMinneapolis: IED caused explosion at the Dar Al Farooq Community Center this morning. — FBI Minneapolis (@FBIMinneapolis) August 5, 2017

Another tweet said the FBI is working on determining who set off the explosive and why.

The FBI is the lead investigative agency. Police are asking anyone with information to contact the FBI.

Read More</s>BLOOMINGTON, Minn. — A homemade explosive device appears to have caused a Saturday morning explosion at a mosque in Minnesota, authorities said, and the FBI is taking the lead in the investigation.

Authorities in Bloomington said no one was injured in the blast at the city’s Dar Al-Farooq Islamic Center.

An improvised explosive device caused the explosion, the FBI office in Minneapolis tweeted Saturday afternoon.

Another tweet said the FBI is working on determining who set off the explosive and why.

The FBI is the lead investigative agency. Police are asking anyone with information to contact the FBI.

Deputy Chief Mike Hartley of the Bloomington Police Department said officers received a report about the explosion around 5 a.m. (6 a.m. ET) Saturday. Responding officers found damage to the building and smoke in the area, the police department said in a tweet.

At a news conference Saturday, a witness said the explosion happened around the time of morning prayers. The witness described running outside after the blast and seeing a car driving away.

A spokesman for the Muslim American Society of Minnesota told CNN affiliate WCCO the group believes someone may have thrown something into the window of the mosque imam’s office.

The society’s executive director, Asad Zaman, said the imam’s window was broken and cited a witness who saw someone standing by the window before the explosion.

The Minnesota chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations is offering a $10,000 reward in the case.

“If a bias motive is proven, this attack would represent another in a long list of hate incidents targeting Islamic institutions nationwide in recent months,” said Amir Malik, CAIR’s civil rights director in Minnesota.

Law enforcement authorities have not said whether they are investigating the mosque explosion as a hate crime.</s>Authorities in Bloomington said no one was injured in the blast at the city’s Dar Al-Farooq Islamic Center.

An improvised explosive device caused the explosion, the FBI office in Minneapolis tweeted Saturday afternoon.

Another tweet said the FBI is working on determining who set off the explosive and why.

The FBI is the lead investigative agency. Police are asking anyone with information to contact the FBI.

Deputy Chief Mike Hartley of the Bloomington Police Department said officers received a report about the explosion around 5 a.m. (6 a.m. ET) Saturday. Responding officers found damage to the building and smoke in the area, the police department said in a tweet.

At a news conference Saturday, a witness said the explosion happened around the time of morning prayers. The witness described running outside after the blast and seeing a car driving away.

A spokesman for the Muslim American Society of Minnesota told CNN affiliate WCCO the group believes someone may have thrown something into the window of the mosque imam’s office.

The society’s executive director, Asad Zaman, said the imam’s window was broken and cited a witness who saw someone standing by the window before the explosion.

The Minnesota chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations is offering a $10,000 reward in the case.

“If a bias motive is proven, this attack would represent another in a long list of hate incidents targeting Islamic institutions nationwide in recent months,” said Amir Malik, CAIR’s civil rights director in Minnesota.

Law enforcement authorities have not said whether they are investigating the mosque explosion as a hate crime.

The US Department of Homeland Security said it “fully supports the rights of all to freely and safely worship the faith of their choosing and we vigorously condemn such attacks on any religious institution. We are thankful that there were no injuries, but that does not diminish the serious nature of this act.”</s>The FBI says an improvised explosive device is to blame for an explosion at an Islamic center Saturday. http://kare11.tv/2fi0Tp1</s>The FBI was currently searching for suspects after a suburban Minneapolis mosque was bombed on Saturday during morning prayers. Thankfully, no one was injured, only a few rooms were damaged.

According to the Star Tribune, the blast was reported at 5:05 a.m. as about a dozen people gathered in a room nearby for morning prayers and jolted awake many residents of the neighborhood. When police arrived to the Bloomington, Minnesota Islamic center, they found smoke and fire damage to the building, said Bloomington Police Chief Jeff Potts.

The FBI quickly joined local police in the investigation along with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives and the FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Force. So far, the FBI has collected parts of the explosive and are analyzing video and cell-phone data from the scene. Yet, no suspects in the attack have been identified, nor have any motives.

The newspaper also noted that the center had occasionally received threats, but it has never been attacked prior. However, congregants of the mosque and members of the Muslim community believe that the bombing was definitely a hate crime.

Executive Director Mohamed Omar told KEYC News, “One of our congregation members came out immediately and he saw a truck fleeing from the parking lot, running at very high speed.”

Muslim-American Society Executive Director Asad Zaman added, “Hate is not ok. We need a better America. Targeting people because of their race, their ethnicity or their religion is absolutely UN-American.”

The Minnesota chapters of the Muslim American Society and the Council on American-Islamic Relations are each offering a $10,000 reward for any information which leads to an arrest and conviction for the crime, New York Magazine reported.

Not surprisingly, President Trump—who has pushed a travel ban on Muslim countries— and the White House have yet to acknowledge the bombing.

This is a developing story and we will provide updates as they become available.

Finsbury Park Attack: Driver Plows Into Group Of Muslims By London Mosque</s>BLOOMINGTON, Minn. (AP) — The FBI was searching for suspects after an explosive device tore through part of a suburban Minneapolis mosque on Saturday as people were preparing for morning prayers, damaging a room but not causing any injuries, authorities and witnesses said.

The blast happened at around 5 a.m. at the Dar Al-Farooq Islamic Center in Bloomington, according to Bloomington Police Chief Jeff Potts. Windows of the imam’s office were shattered, either by the blast or by an object thrown through them, the Minneapolis Star Tribune reported .

One worshipper saw a pickup truck speeding away shortly after the explosion, said Mohamed Omar, the center’s executive director. He said the mosque, which primarily serves people from the area’s large Somali community, occasionally receives threatening calls and emails.

“We came to this country for the same reason everyone else came here: freedom to worship,” Yasir Abdalrahman, a worshipper at the mosque, told the newspaper. “And that freedom is under threat. Every other American should be insulted by this.”

Asad Zaman, director of the Muslim American Society of Minnesota, described the attack as a firebombing.

Investigators will try to determine whether the incident was a hate crime and who may have been behind it, according to Richard Thornton, special agent in charge of the FBI’s Minneapolis Division.

Thornton said during an afternoon news conference that the explosion was caused by an “improvised explosive device,” and that investigators have recovered components of the device to figure out how it was put together.

But he didn’t take questions and declined to provide details about the device, citing the ongoing investigation, which is being led by the FBI.

Saturday’s bombing comes amid a rise in reports of anti-Muslim incidents in the U.S., including arson attacks and vandalism at mosques, harassment of women wearing Muslim head coverings and bullying of Muslim schoolchildren. Just recently in Minnesota, an Islamic cemetery in Castle Rock Township reported it had been vandalized with spray painted profanities and swastikas.

The mosque in Bloomington, just south of Minneapolis, serves as a religious center and community organizing platform for Muslim activists and leaders in the area, according to the society. The group is offering a $10,000 reward for information that leads to an arrest or conviction.

A $10,000 reward also is being offered by the Minnesota chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, or CAIR. The group said its national office is urging Islamic centers and mosques to step up security.

“If a bias motive is proven, this attack would represent another in a long list of hate incidents targeting Islamic institutions nationwide in recent months,” said Amir Malik, the local chapter’s civil rights director.

Along with a mosque, the building houses a community center that hosts computer classes, a basketball league, religious classes, lectures and other events.

Minnesota is home to the largest Somali community in the U.S., roughly 57,000 people, according to the latest census figures. The immigrants have been coming to Minnesota from their war-torn homeland since the 1990s, drawn by generous social services and the sense of community among the diaspora.

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• HILLS FIRE BEING INVESTIGATED AS POSSIBLE ARSON</s>FBI investigating explosion described as 'fire-bombing' at Minnesota mosque

FBI investigators are seeking suspects after an explosive device tore through part of a suburban Minneapolis mosque as people were preparing for morning prayers.

The blast happened at around 5:00am on Saturday (local time) at the Dar al-Farooq Islamic Centre in the town of Bloomington, according to the Bloomington Police Department.

Windows of the imam's office were shattered but there were no injuries, authorities and witnesses said.

The centre's executive director, Mohamed Omar, said one worshipper saw a pick-up truck speeding away shortly after the explosion and the mosque, which primarily serves people from the area's large Somali community, occasionally receives threatening calls and emails.

"We came to this country for the same reason everyone else came here — freedom to worship — and that freedom is under threat," Yasir Abdalrahman, a worshipper at the mosque, told the Minneapolis Star Tribune.

Asad Zaman, director of the Muslim American Society of Minnesota, described the attack as a fire-bombing.

Investigators will try to determine whether the incident was a hate crime and who may have been behind it, according to Richard Thornton, special agent in charge of the FBI's Minneapolis division.

Thornton said during an afternoon news conference the explosion was caused by an "improvised explosive device", and investigators had recovered components of the device to figure out how it was put together.

The mosque serves as a religious centre and community organising platform for Muslim activists and leaders in the area the Muslim American Society of Minnesota is offering a $10,000 reward for information that leads to an arrest or conviction.

The same reward is also being offered by the Minnesota chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations. The group said its national office was urging Islamic centres and mosques to step up security.

"If a biased motive is proven, this attack would represent another in a long list of hate incidents targeting Islamic institutions nationwide in recent months," said Amir Malik, the local chapter's civil rights director.</s>The FBI believes that an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) caused the blast that rocked the Dar Al-Farooq Islamic Center in Bloomington, Minnesota. While the explosion caused some damage, no one was killed in the attack that occurred during Saturday morning prayers.The explosion from the homemade bomb happened at the Imam's office around 5:05am, immediately after the morning prayer had begun. Dozens of people were inside Dar Al-Farooq Islamic Center when the blast went off."Someone threw an explosive device and started a fire in the office of the Imam and President of the mosque," the Muslim American Society of Minnesota said in a statement. "The attendees put out the fire."A witness allegedly saw a projectile being thrown at the building from a "van or truck".No one was injured, but the blast did knock out some windows and damaged the furniture inside the building.The FBI has taken over the investigation of the explosion from Bloomington police. The Department of Homeland Security is also keeping an eye on the investigation."It was an improvised explosive device that was set off early this morning," Rick Thornton, the FBI's special agent in charge of the investigation, told reporters Saturday afternoon."At this point, our focus is to determine who and why," Thornton said, according to the Washington Post. "Is it a hate crime? Is it an act of terror?... Again, that's what the investigation is going to determine."Local religious leaders and politicians have condemned the attack as the investigation continues and the attacker or attackers remains at large. The Muslim American Society has offered a reward of $10,000 for information leading to the arrest and conviction of those responsible.</s>An improvised explosive device exploded early Saturday in a Minnesota mosque and community center.

No one was injured, but the explosion damaged an imam's office at the Dar Al Farooq Islamic Center in Bloomington, located near Minneapolis.

The FBI Minneapolis Field Office is now leading an investigation in cooperation with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Bloomington police and other agencies.

"The FBI said the preliminary investigation indicated the explosion was caused by an improvised explosive device, but would not characterize the device further," reports Peter Cox of Minnesota Public Radio. "They said their focus was to determine the 'who and why' behind the incident."

Bloomington police said they received a call at 5:05 a.m. reporting an explosion. First responders arrived and "observed some smoke and some damage to a limited portion of the community center," Bloomington Police Chief Jeff Potts told reporters.

Pictures from the outside show a broken window on the side of the building.

The Muslim American Society of Minnesota posted pictures of the damaged office on its Facebook page:

"One of our congregation saw a pickup truck leaving from the parking lot at a very unusual, you know, speed," said the mosque's executive director, Mohamed Omar.

Faith leaders and community members gathered to denounce the attack. "An attack on a mosque is an attack on a synagogue is an attack on a church, is an attack on all faith communities," Curtiss DeYoung, the CEO of the Minnesota Council of Churches, told reporters. "And so we stand with you, a million protestants in Minnesota."

"The Dar Al Farooq Center welcomes and expresses gratitude to members of different faith-based communities who turned up in large numbers to show their solidarity and support to us in our time of grief," the center wrote on its Facebook page, adding, "United We Stand and Divided We Fall."

The center has received threatening calls and emails before, Omar told the Star Tribune. Callers have said "that we shouldn't be here, that we are a burden to the community or we are harming it," the newspaper reports.

The Muslim American Society of Minnesota and the Minnesota chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations are each offering a reward for information leading to an arrest in the case.

"CAIR has noted an unprecedented spike in hate incidents targeting Muslims and other minority groups since the November 8 election," the group said in a press release.</s>By Karin Brulliard and Amy B Wang, (c) 2017, The Washington Post

An explosion shook a Minneapolis-area mosque during morning prayers Saturday, and an FBI official said it was caused by an “improvised explosive device.”

No one was injured in the blast at Dar Al-Farooq Islamic Center in Bloomington, Minn., which took place as a small number of worshipers gathered shortly after 5 a.m. Mohamed Omar, the center’s executive director, said in an interview that he was inside the mosque preparing for morning prayers when he felt a “huge explosion” that quickly caused smoke and flames. Omar said another person present later told him he had heard the sound of a window breaking and then a pickup truck fleeing outside.

“The sprinkler system went off and immediately water came down,” Omar said. “We didn’t know what was happening but it was scary.”

Jaylani Hussein, the executive director of the Minnesota chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, said 15 to 20 worshipers are typically present for morning prayers. The explosion took place inside the imam’s office, which was next to a prayer area in the mosque, Hussein said. Another “overflow” prayer area behind the imam’s office was also empty, he added.

“If it was Ramadan or one of the busier times, all of the space would be used,” Hussein said in an interview.

Rick Potts, the FBI’s special agent in charge of the investigation, told reporters Saturday afternoon that the blast was caused by an “improvised explosive device” but offered no further details about its composition or possible suspects. Neither the FBI nor the Bloomington Police Department, which initially responded to the explosion, speculated on a motive for the incident.

“At this point, our focus is to determine who and why,” Potts said at a news conference. “Is it a hate crime? Is it an act of terror?. . .Again, that’s what the investigation is going to determine.”

The attack was quickly condemned by religious leaders and politicians. Hussein said a “standing opposition group” has regularly protested against the mosque – and sometimes its mere existence – since it opened in 2011.

“Hate is not okay,” Asad Zaman, executive director of the Muslim American Society of Minnesota, told reporters, according to the Minneapolis Star-Tribune. “We need an America where people are safe with their neighbors.”

If the attack was motivated by anti-Muslim bias, it would represent “another in a long list of hate incidents targeting Islamic institutions nationwide in recent months,” CAIR-MN civil rights director Amir Malik said. CAIR said in a report last month that anti-Muslim hate crimes in the United States nearly doubled in the first half of this year over the same period in 2016. At least 35 anti-mosque acts – including vandalism and arson – were reported during the first three months of this year, the organization has said.

Last week, vandals spray-painted swastikas and hateful graffiti at the Al Magfirah cemetery in Castle Rock Township, just outside the Minneapolis-St. Paul metropolitan area, the Associated Press reported. Other messages at the Muslim cemetery read “666” and “leave you R Dead,” according to photos published by the KSTP News.

Since the morning attack at the mosque, the area has been shut down as an active crime scene, but it has also attracted well-wishers, from neighbors to other members of the faith community.

“The churches around and synagogues . . . almost all of them came down and showed their support,” Omar said. “We are strong and we don’t want to lose hope because of things that happen.”

CAIR’s Minnesota chapter and the Muslim American Society each offered a $10,000 reward for information leading to an arrest and conviction of a perpetrator in the Dar Al-Farooq attack. The society urged “the community to be calm and remain safe.”

Sen. Al Franken, D-Minn., said on Twitter that he was “horrified” by the incident.

Ilham Omar, a Somali American state representative who is Muslim, called on Minnesotans to “stand together in opposition to hate.”

“This building is more than a religious symbol,” she said in a statement. “It’s a place where Minnesotans are gathering to create community, to talk to their neighbors, to learn about our world and each other, and to help care for children.”
An improvised explosive device goes off at a mosque in Bloomington, Minnesota. No injuries were reported, and the FBI is investigating the case.