BLOOMINGTON, Minn. �� Minnesota Gov. Mark Dayton and Lt. Gov. Tina Smith visited the Dar Al Farooq Islamic center in Bloomington Sunday morning, the day after a bomb rocked the building.
Dayton described the incident as "so wretched. Not Minnesota."
An FBI investigation into an "incendiary explosive device" used at the Islamic center continued Sunday.
No one was hurt in the explosion, which heavily damaged an imam's office at the center and sent smoke through the large building. Windows in the office were shattered, either by the blast or by an object thrown through them.
The blast was reported at 5:05 a.m. Saturday as about a dozen people gathered in a room nearby for morning prayers, and jolted awake many residents of the neighborhood. Congregants and neighbors expressed relief that there were no injuries, but also reacted with shock and dismay.
When police arrived, they found smoke and fire damage to the building, said Bloomington Police Chief Jeff Potts. Agents from the FBI and the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives soon joined the investigation. A large area outside the center was taped off as investigators, including members of the FBI's Joint Terrorism Task Force, combed through the grass.
Witnesses have been interviewed, evidence has been sent to various labs, and video and cellphone data are being analyzed, the FBI said.
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security said in a news release that acting Secretary Elaine Duke was aware of the explosion and was "in close contact with federal, state and local authorities and local community leaders as the investigation into this matter continues."
"The Department of Homeland Security fully supports the rights of all too freely and safely worship the faith of their choosing and we vigorously condemn such attacks on any religious institution," the Homeland Security release said. "We are thankful that there were no injuries, but that does not diminish the serious nature of this act."
Even before the FBI update, congregants said the blast appeared to be a hate crime. Mohamed Omar, the center's executive director, who was in the building when the explosion occurred, , said one worshiper saw a pickup truck speed out of the parking lot after the blast.
On Sunday, the Council on American-Islamic Relations reported that "Islamophobic trolls" had flooded its Facebook page with messages supporting the bombing. The group's website posted screen images of some of the messages.
