Feds charge White man with Hate Crimes for "Terrorist" attempt to burn down Toledo-area Mosque
/
From [HERE] and [HERE] A fire in the prayer room of the Islamic Center of Greater Toledo was an act of terrorism, officials said Friday during a news conference in which they announced federal hate crime charges against the suspect -- a white man who tried to burn down the largest mosque in the Toledo area last Sunday.
Randolph Linn, 52, was charged with intentionally defacing, damaging and destroying religious real property, and using fire and explosives to commit a felony, said Michael Tobin, a spokesman for the U.S. Department of Justice. Tobin also said agents reported that Linn tried to burn down the Islamic Center of Greater Toledo in retaliation for the recent attacks on U.S. embassies in the Middle East while Muslims in this country get a "free pass."
While being booked after being arrested last Tuesday and being read his Miranda rights, Linn said, "f*** those Muslims," according to the filing.
Perrysburg Township police charged Linn last Tuesday with aggravated arson, aggravated burglary and carrying a concealed weapon, but Steven M. Dettelbach, U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Ohio, said a prosecutor in Wood County will ask to have those charges dismissed in deference to the federal charges.
"We have zero tolerance for such violent acts of intolerance," Dettelbach said. "Religious freedom is at the core of our country, and we will continue to aggressively prosecute such hate crimes.
"Although this violence took place in one mosque in Toledo, as Americans we are all victims," he said. "The fire in this case wasn't just aimed at destroying a mosque. It was designed to deprive our community of one of our most cherished freedoms."
Tobin said the Perrysburg Township Fire Department was notified about 5 p.m. last Sunday about a fire at the Islamic Center, whose golden dome is a landmark along Interstate 75.
Investigators discovered a red plastic gas can in the middle of the center's prayer room, according to the filing. The carpet underneath had been burned, but the fire was extinguished by a sprinkler system. According to an affidavit filed in U.S. District Court, officials determined the fire had been intentionally set.
Security cameras at the Islamic Center captured images of an older man dressed in blue jeans and wearing a camouflage-style sweatshirt leaving a red, SUV-type vehicle in the parking lot at 4:11 p.m. and approaching the center's front door, Tobin said.
Cameras also showed the man walking inside the center with a firearm and gas can, and then leaving at 4:54 p.m. Photos of the man were released for public viewing on Monday.
Dettelbach said on Tuesday that a woman called police and identified the man as Randolph Linn. The woman, whom Dettelbach would not name, said she knew Linn and that he had made recent anti-Muslim comments.
The woman also said Linn had purchased a red, American-made, SUV-type vehicle three months ago.
Dettelbach said the woman's tip and a review of Indiana driver's license records confirmed Linn's current address in St. Joe, Ind., which is near Fort Wayne, and that he owned a red Chevrolet Sonic.
Linn was arrested 3:30 p.m. Tuesday in the parking lot of his place of employment.
Linn made his initial appearance in federal court in Toledo on Friday, Dettelbach said, and future court dates will be set after an indictment is returned.
