No evidence of hate crime, terror in US mosque arson – Police chief

Investigators in Connecticut have not found evidence that a fire at a mosque was a hate crime or an act of terrorism, New Haven’s top cop said. Police Chief Otoniel Reyes said Wednesday that “every aspect” of a May 12 fire at the Diyanet Mosque of New Haven remains under investigation, but a motive has […]

Investigators in Connecticut have not found evidence that a fire at a mosque was a hate crime or an act of terrorism, New Haven’s top cop said.

Police Chief Otoniel Reyes said Wednesday that “every aspect” of a May 12 fire at the Diyanet Mosque of New Haven remains under investigation, but a motive has yet to be determined.

“Up to this point in the investigation, we have not uncovered any information that would suggest this event was an act of terrorism, nor are we able to definitively classify it as a hate crime at this time,” Reyes said in a statement and interview with the New Haven Register. “That said, the investigation is ongoing and we cannot rule out any underlying motive.”

Reyes’ comments are the first time officials have discussed a possible motive in the blaze that broke out one week after the start of the Islamic holy month of Ramadan, the newspaper reports.

The city’s fire chief, John Alston Jr., told reporters a day after the multi-story blaze that it was intentionally set. No injuries were reported.

A day later, Mayor Toni Harp said evidence showed that an “incendiary device” or similar material was used to start the blaze. A spokesman for Harp declined to comment on Reyes’ remarks, saying Harp won’t have anything else to say until the completion of a probe by federal, state and local authorities. Reached by phone early Thursday, the mosque’s president said he’s awaiting more information from local authorities before making any statements about the fire.

“They don’t have anything yet, we’re waiting to see,” president Haydar Elevli told The Post. “We’re waiting for them to finish up. They’re doing the investigation. I don’t know anything about it.”

US Sen. Richard Blumenthal, appearing outside the mosque on Friday, said the fire was meant to instill fear, regardless of the precise distinction between an act of terror and a hate crime.

“The effect, if not the intention, was to strike terror,” the Connecticut Democrat said. “It was an act of terrorism.”

Rewards of $7,500 have been announced by federal and local authorities for information leading to an arrest and conviction in the blaze.