A note referencing the mass shootings in New Zealand was found at the scene of a possible arson attack at a mosque in California, police have revealed.
Members of the Islamic Centre of Escondido, around 30 miles north of San Diego, were able to extinguish the blaze before firefighters arrived around 3.15am on Sunday.
Local police, the FBI and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives officials are investigating the case as a possible arson attack and a hate crime after a note was discovered in the parking lot and graffiti was scrawled on the driveway.
Escondido Police Lieutenant Chris Lick said the letter mentioned the shootings that killed 50 people at two mosques in Christchurch earlier this month.
Police did not elaborate about the contents of the note, and nor did they share any information about the graffiti message.
The small fire at the southern California mosque caused minor damage to the building’s exterior but no one was injured by the flames.
Seven people were inside at the time of the fire, police told the KNSD TV station. The worshippers used a fire extinguisher to put out the blaze before a fire crew arrived on the scene.
“There are people who sleep there overnight,” said mosque member Yusef Miller. “They heard the sounds, they smelled some funny smells, and there was a letter saying something connecting to New Zealand at the same time. So, this made everybody especially on edge.”
The Escondido Mosque was established four years ago and serves several hundred people in the city, Mr Miller explained.
“We won’t stop praying,” he said. “We won’t stop gathering.”
Dustin Craun, the head of the Council of American-Islamic Relations in San Diego, described the possible arson attack as “disturbing” and asked for anyone with information to come forward.
“It is disturbing enough that some sick individual would attempt to burn a house of worship to the ground, but referencing the slayings in New Zealand is beyond the pale,” he said.
“While the majority of humanity has responded to the tragedy to draw closer to one another and refute hatred, a violent and hate-filled minority seeks further divisions.
“We ask anyone with information to come forward and contact the Escondido Police Department. We stand in solidarity with our community members who attend the Islamic Centre of Escondido.”
Additional reporting by agencies
