Probe urged on post-Friday prayer attack on a Minnesota mosque

Rights advocates are urging for an investigation following an attack on a mosque in Minnesota that took place after Friday prayers.

The incident took place at Dar Al Farooq Islamic Centre in Bloomington, a suburb south of Minneapolis, where a major attack took place in 2017.

On Friday, a large fire broke out behind the building, engulfing a storage shed near the mosque’s sports area in flames. Security footage shows an unidentified suspect fleeing the scene.

The cause of the fire has not yet been determined, but mosque leaders say they suspect arson based on what is known so far, as well as a history of attacks on that mosque and others in Minnesota in recent years. In 2017, Dar Al Farooq was bombed by domestic terrorists.

Over the past three years, Minnesota has seen the most mosque attacks in the US, with more than 40 reported incidents, causing over $3 million in damages.

"This incident has brought a great deal of fear and anxiety to Dar Al Farooq worshippers and the broader Muslim community," Jaylani Hussein, executive director of the Minnesota chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, said in a public statement.

“Given the history of attacks against this mosque and others across Minnesota, it is imperative that authorities immediately launch a full investigation into a possible bias motive,” he added.

The Minneapolis metro area has one of the largest Somali communities in the US.

CAIR's Hussein is asking for increased security at mosques in the area and to follow the group’s their book on best practices for mosque and community safety.