Star Tribune
Minneapolis mosque reports arson; advocates call for investigation into possible bias crime
A Minneapolis mosque was the target of an alleged arson attempt Sunday evening when someone started a fire in a bathroom, and community members are calling for police to investigate whether it was an anti-Muslim bias crime.
The Minnesota chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) discussed concern about the fire at the Masjid Omar Islamic Center in a statement Monday.
“Given past incidents targeting state mosques and Islamic institutions, we urge law enforcement authorities to investigate a possible bias motive for this crime,” said Minnesota CAIR Executive Director Jaylani Hussein.
Muslim community leaders reported that a white man entered the mosque around 7 p.m. Sunday with a container of flammable liquid before lighting the fire in the bathroom, CAIR said in its release.
Worshippers at the mosque, which is in the 24 Somali Mall in the city’s Ventura Village neighborhood, used a fire extinguisher to put the fire out, and police and fire officials also responded, CAIR said.
A provided photo shows a red gas canister next to a pile of black burned material and some charred tiles. A surveillance photo shows the suspect wearing a black skull cap, glasses, a blue surgical mask and a black hoodie.
Investigators will consider whether it was motivated by anti-Muslim bias, according to Sgt. Garrett Parten with the Minneapolis Police Department.
“Things like that are always considered, especially when it’s related to a worship center,” he said.
No arrests have been made, and the suspect is believed to be connected to previous property damage incidents, Parten said. Police are requesting the public’s assistance with identifying the suspect and to provide information by email at policetips@minneapolismn.gov or by voicemail at 612-673-5845.
“If not for the actions of the worshipers, this disturbing incident could have resulted in injuries or even deaths,” Hussein said. “We thank fire and law enforcement officials for their response and hope that a motive for this arson attack at a house of worship may be determined.”
The alleged attack comes two weeks after police decided not to pursue charges in the vandalism of the Umatul Islam mosque in Minneapolis.
Surveillance footage showed a person walking outside the mosque the morning of April 10 before he broke several windows with a red metal prybar that was dropped inside and later recovered as evidence, according to the police report.
The damage to the windows and the main door were estimated to cost over $50,000, CAIR said. Police decided to close the investigation due to a lack of evidence, the police report shows.
Hussein urged Muslim community members and Islamic institutions to take extra security measures suggested in CAIR’s booklet, “Best Practices for Mosque and Community Safety.”
Minneapolis Council Member Jamal Osman tweeted his support for the Muslim community on Monday.
“Everyone in this country has the right to worship freely without fear of violence,” Osman wrote. “I would like to assure our community that we stand in solidarity and provide all the necessary support to increase safety for the community.”
Star Tribune reporter Paul Walsh contributed to this article.
The Lynx are in the hot seat.
The team lost Game 3 of the WNBA Finals series against the New York Liberty on Wednesday night 77-80, setting the stage for a decisive match at Target Center on Friday night. Fans in the arena reacted with resounding disappointment after Sabrina Ionescu sunk a three-pointer to break away from the tie game and dashed the Lynx’s chance at forcing overtime.
Before we get to the reactions, first things first: The Lynx set an attendance record, filling Target Center with 19,521 spectators for the first time in franchise history. That’s nearly 500 more than when Caitlin Clark was in town with the Indiana Fever earlier this year.
Despite leading by double digits for much of the game, the Lynx began the fourth quarter with a one-point lead over the Liberty and struggled to stay more than two or three points ahead throughout.
The Liberty took the lead with minutes to go in the fourth quarter and folks were practically despondent.
Of course, there were people who were in it solely for the spectacle. Nothing more.
The Lynx took a commanding lead early in the first quarter and ended the first half in winning position, setting a particularly jovial mood among the fanbase to start the game.
Inside Target Center, arena announcers spent a few minutes before the game harassing Lynx fans — and Liberty fans — who had not yet donned the complementary T-shirts draped over every seat.
DULUTH – The Minnesota and Wisconsin transportation departments will make upgrades to the Richard I. Bong Memorial Bridge in the summer of 2025, in preparation for the structure to become the premiere route between this city and Superior during reconstruction of the Blatnik Bridge.
Built in 1961, the Blatnik Bridge carries 33,000 vehicles per day along Interstate 535 and Hwy. 53. It will be entirely rebuilt, starting in 2027, with the help of $1 billion in federal funding announced earlier this year. MnDOT and WisDOT are splitting the remaining costs of the project, about $4 million each.
According to MnDOT, projects on the Bong Bridge will include spot painting, concrete surface repairs to the bridge abutments, concrete sealer on the deck, replacing rubber strip seal membranes on the main span’s joints and replacing light poles on the bridge and its points of entry. It’s expected to take two months, transportation officials said during a recent meeting at the Superior Public Library.
During this time there will be occasional lane closures, detours at the off-ramps, and for about three weeks the sidewalk path alongside the bridge will be closed.
The Bong Bridge, which crosses the St. Louis River, opened to traffic in 1985 and is the lesser-used of the two bridges. Officials said they want to keep maintenance to a minimum on the span during the Blatnik project, which is expected to take four years.
Red Wing will celebrate the grand opening of its first permanent set of pickleball courts next week with an “inaugural play” on the six courts at Colvill Park on the banks of the Mississippi, between a couple of marinas and next to the aquatic center.
Among the first to get to play on the new courts will be David Anderson, who brought pickleball to the local YMCA in 2008, before the nationwide pickleball craze took hold, and Denny Yecke, at 92 the oldest pickleball player in Red Wing.
The inaugural play begins at 11 a.m. Tuesday, with a rain date of the next day. Afterward will be food and celebration at the Colvill Park Courtyard building.
Tim Sletten, the city’s former police chief, discovered America’s fastest-growing sport a decade ago after he retired. With fellow members of the Red Wing Pickleball Group, he’d play indoors at the local YMCA or outdoors at a local school, on courts made for other sports. But they didn’t have a permanent place, so they approached the city about building one.
When a city feasibility study came up with a high cost, about $350,000, Sletten’s group got together to raise money.
The courts are even opening ahead of schedule, originally set for 2025.
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