Minneapolis mosque arson suspect arrested

Police chief said man tried 'to inflict terror on to our Muslim community'

Police detained a man suspected of starting a fire at Al Rahma mosque in Minneapolis. Photo: United States Attorney's Office

Police in Minneapolis, Minnesota, arrested a man suspected of setting two fires that damaged mosques in the city last week as part of what was described as “an attempt to inflict terror on to our Muslim community".

Police Chief Brian O’Hara announced the arrest of Jackie Rahm Little, 36, on Sunday but did not provide details of how he was apprehended.

Mr Little was charged with second-degree arson after fires on April 23 and 24, and an arrest warrant was issued.

“Houses of worship should be safe places," Mr O'Hara said. "Setting fire to a sacred facility, where families and children gather, is incredibly inhumane.

"And this level of blatant hatred will not be tolerated in our great city."

One fire was set on the third floor of the Mercy Islamic Centre, which houses Al Rahma mosque.

The criminal complaint against Mr Little states that surveillance video showed him entering the centre carrying a bag with a petrol can inside.

A short time later, a staff member saw a fire near offices. It was extinguished before it could spread very far.

The other fire was on Sunday night in the bathroom of the mosque in 24 Somali Mall. Worshippers put that fire out.

The two mosques are about a kilometre apart. Mr O’Hara had said that the police suspected that the one person was responsible for both fires.