Police, federal authorities probe St. Paul mosque fire, MPR, 5/17/23

... The building was unoccupied and under renovation. No injuries were reported.

St. Paul fire investigators Wednesday described the fire as a suspected arson. Keith Walker, who works next door and saw smoke coming from the mosque, said he’s noticed people who appear to be homeless staying in the building.

St. Paul police deputy chief Joshua Lego said officers had previously been called to the building on reports of vandalism in what appeared to be a vacant building. He said there was no immediate evidence that the fire Wednesday morning had been motivated by religious or racial enmity.

Representatives of the congregation, the largest Oromo Islamic congregation in the east metro, said they had been worshipping at the site for more than a decade but had recently purchased a larger building and were renovating the site when it burned.

The center is the spiritual home for about 300 families and more than 1,000 people. Jaylani Hussein, executive director of the Council on American Islamic Relations Minnesota chapter, said it’s the largest ethnic Oromo Islamic congregation in the area.

St. Paul police say a 42-year-old man is in custody in connection with a fire that gutted a community center and mosque.

A Twitter post says the suspect was arrested around 8 p.m. Wednesday for the fire earlier that morning at the Oromo American Tawhid Islamic Center. He is currently being held on suspicion of first-degree arson.

Criminal records show the man was previously charged and convicted of arson in 2020 for a fire set in his room at the Dorothy Day Center in St. Paul. In that case the suspect agreed to be taken to a hospital for a mental health evaluation.

He was later sentenced to an additional 30 days in jail for violating the terms of his sentencing by failing to check in with a probation officer and not remaining law-abiding.

While police have identified the suspect, KARE 11 will not name him until criminal charges are officially filed.

Charges: Man who set fire to St. Paul Islamic center has history of arson, damaging property at religious institutions, WCCO (CBS), 5/19/23

. . . Charging documents say Said Murekezi admitted to breaking into the Islamic Center on Tuesday and stayed there overnight, looking for things inside to burn. A witness who worked at a school across the street said he'd seen Murekezi throw something at the window of the Islamic Center sometime between 2:30 and 3:30 p.m.

Surveillance camera footage allegedly shows Murekezi on Wednesday morning enter the mosque through the broken window. Ten minutes later, he appeared on the east side of the building, and smoke is visible.

Investigators used facial recognition technology to match the surveillance footage to Murekezi, documents state. In an interview, Murekezi said it was a good thing he was caught, because if he had not been he would "torch another one," or a "church." He said he was a Muslim, and burned the mosque as a form of protest because other Muslims in the community were sleeping out in the cold. (it is said that the road to hell is paved with good intentions -progree)

Murekezi had been in custody at the Hennepin County Jail from April 28 to May 15. He was on probation for first-degree criminal damage to property. According to the complaint, he had broken windows at a Catholic church in Minneapolis in 2023, and at an Islamic community center in Minnetonka in 2021. He was also charged with arson in connection to a 2020 fire at a residential unit at Dorothy Day Place.

The man who allegedly set fire to a St. Paul mosque this week is facing arson, burglary, and drug charges, but the Ramsey County Attorney's Office said there's no evidence of a hate crime.