The Minnesota FBI says an improvised explosive device (IED) was thrown into a mosque early this morning. While no one was injured, the explosion took place during morning prayers.
From #FBIMinneapolis: IED caused explosion at the Dar Al Farooq Community Center this morning.
— FBI Minneapolis (@FBIMinneapolis) August 5, 2017
CNN reported: Deputy Chief Mike Hartley of the Bloomington Police Department said officers received a report about the explosion around 5 a.m. (6 a.m. ET) Saturday. Responding officers found damage to the building and smoke in the area, the police department said in a tweet.
At a news conference Saturday, a witness said the explosion happened around the time of morning prayers. The witness described running outside after the blast and seeing a car driving away.
A witness reported seeing something being thrown at the imam’s office window as about a dozen people gathered for morning prayers, said Asad Zaman, the society’s director. Zaman described it as a firebombing, the Star Tribune reported.
One worshipper saw a pickup truck speeding away afterward, said Mohamed Omar, the center’s executive director. He said the mosque, which primarily serves people from the area’s large Somali community, occasionally receives threatening calls and emails.
Richard Thornton, special agent in charge of the FBI’s Minneapolis Division, said during a Saturday afternoon news conference that investigators have recovered components of the device to figure how it was put together. He said authorities were also searching for the perpetrators.
Trevin Miller, who lives across the street, said the explosion woke him up and felt the blast on his “insides.”
This is a developing story.
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