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Man arrested after vandalism at Bloomington mosque

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Posted at 12:30 PM, Oct 21, 2021
and last updated 2021-10-22 00:19:12-04

BLOOMINGTON — Bloomington Police have arrested a 32-year-old man after a mosque was vandalized earlier this week.

The incident happened Monday morning at the Islamic Center of Bloomington, located in the 1900 block of East Atwater Avenue.

Surveillance video of the suspect showed him destroying a new HVAC unit, a new fence, cameras, and picnic tables.

Police say the suspect faces a preliminary charge of institutional criminal mischief. WRTV does not name suspects unless formal charges are filed.

The Council on American-Islamic Relations Chicago Office released the following statement:

We are pleased with the arrest and continue to call on the police department to investigate it as a hate crime, and file charges accordingly. The mosque was targeted with other non-mosque property and cars in the vicinity spared. The culprit attempted to skirt being caught including by security cameras. The damages were significant and particularly violent. They knew what they were doing.
CAIR Chicago