Three mosques in Austin, Texas attacked across one night, suspect still at large

The city of Austin in Texas has seen a series of three attacks on local mosques in one night, rattling residents as the suspect remains at large.

This all took place in on 22 May, with surveillance footage showing a masked white man spray-painting the Star of David on the mosque walls.

These attacks come amid a rise in anti-Muslim bias incidents in the wake of the outbreak of Israel's war on Gaza in October 2023.

"We don’t see this as an isolated incident. We’ve seen a pattern in the rise of Islamophobia and anti-Arab and anti-immigrant sentiment," Shaimaa Zayan, operations manager with the Austin chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, told The New Arab.

"Nueces Mosque has reported four incidents since October. What is disturbing is having it happen at three mosques in one night," she said. "It's not clear what the motive is."

On Thursday evening, a man vandalised Nueces Mosque, the Islamic Ahlul Bayt Association (IABA) and Austin Diyanet Center in Austin.

Though there have been other reported bias incidents in Austin and other parts of Texas over the past several years, this latest series of attacks took place in an area known for its diversity and inclusivity. Many of the members of Nueces Mosque are international students from the University of Texas at Austin.

On Thursday, Nueces Mosque, which has been operating since 1977, will be holding a community gathering for people of all faiths and backgrounds.

Though the damage to the three mosques is largely superficial, there is nevertheless an emotional impact on the local Muslim community, particularly while the suspect remains at large.

"I don't think the physical damage is a lot. The damage is more emotional," Zayan said. "The mosques are seen not only as places of worship, but also community gatherings."

In 2023, CAIR saw 8,061 complaints of anti-Muslim incidents, up 56 per cent from the previous year, with nearly half of the reported cases occurring between October and December, coinciding with the war on Gaza. The high reports of bias incidents continued in 2024 with 8,658 reported incidents.

The 2023 and 2024 incidents include discrimination in asylum, employment and education, as well as hate crimes and other bias incidents. 

CAIR are asking community leaders to refer to their best practices guide book for keeping mosques safe.