According to court documents, Jackie Rahm Little was sentenced to 70 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release. He was also ordered to pay more than $378,000 in restitution.
Little pleaded guilty to one count each of arson and damage to religious property for setting fire to the Masjid Al-Rahma Mosque in Bloomington, Minnesota, and the Masjid Omar Islamic Center in Minneapolis in April 2023.
Charges say survelliance video from Masjid Al-Rahma shows Little walking into the building with a bag that contained a plastic gas container. Soon after, a mosque employee discovered the fire, with a melted gas container as its source, in a hallway on the building’s top floor.
Police got surveillance video from a gas station close by that shows Little, after setting the fire at Masjid Al Rahma, buying a gas can and filling it.
The day before, Little set a fire about a half-mile away inside a bathroom at the Masjid Omar Islamic Center.
Note: The video above originally aired on April 30, 2023.
Jakarta, Indonesia — Multiple explosions shook a mosque at a high school during Friday prayers in Jakarta, Indonesia’s capital, injuring at least 54 people, mostly students, police said.
Witnesses told local television stations that they heard at least two loud blasts around midday, just as the sermon had started at the mosque at SMA 27, a state high school within a navy compound in Jakarta’s northern Kelapa Gading neighborhood. Students and others ran out in panic as gray smoke filled the mosque.
Most of the victims suffered minor to severe injuries from glass shards. The cause of the blasts was not immediately known but they came from near the mosque’s loudspeaker, according to Jakarta Police Chief Asep Edi Suheri.
Bomb squad officers stand guard at the entrance of a school in Jakarta, Indonesia, Nov. 7, 2025, after multiple explosions wounded dozens of people during Friday prayers.
CANDRA/AFP/Getty
People were rushed to nearby hospitals. Some were soon sent home but 20 students remain in hospital care, three of them with serious injuries, the police chief said.
Suheri said an anti-bomb squad that was deployed at the scene found toy rifles and a toy gun near the mosque.
“Police are still investigating the scene to determine the cause of the blasts,” Suheri said, and urged against speculation that the incident was an attack before police investigation is completed.
“Let the authorities work first,” Suheri said. “We will convey whatever the results are to the public.”
Two years after the October 7th attacks in Israel, there remains a strong wave of hate in America.
According to the FBI, nearly 70% of reported religious-based hate crimes targeted Jews in 2024, a stark contrast to how Jews only make up 2% of the U.S. population.
“We are already at the highest state of security that we can possibly be at,” Ethan Roberts, Deputy Director of the Jewish Community Relations Council of Minnesota and the Dakotas, explained to WCCO News. “Security is multi-layered as always. It’s the partnership of local law enforcement. It’s private security, it’s of course JCRC security. It’s the awareness that we ask of all the congregants.”
“We’re seeing more vandalism, we’re seeing more arson, we’re seeing more violence,” Kris Moloney, an army veteran and current church security consultant, lamented to WCCO News. “Churches have kind of had to be a little more intentional about what they do to ensure their guests and visitors and congregants are safer.”
Moloney said his Minnesota-based firm advises houses of worship across the country, said he encourages communities to establish security committees to gameplan for services and events.
“You know all this stuff can be done by, shall we say, normal people – not law enforcement, not military – just normal people can make all the difference in the world by paying attention.”
Jonah Kaplan is an award-winning journalist who has built a strong reputation for his balanced reporting, thoughtful interviews, and deeply researched coverage of high-impact issues affecting the community. His work appears on all of WCCO’s newscasts and is often featured on CBS News’ programs and platforms, including the CBS Evening News, CBS Mornings and CBS 24/7.
There are increased concerns in Minneapolis after a fire erupted at a mosque.
The fire at Al Hikma Mosque started around 5:30 p.m. Monday, according to the Minneapolis Police Department.
Officials say accumulated trash near an unused entrance to the mosque was burning and extinguished by the Minneapolis Fire Department. The fire did not extend into the building.
CAIR-Minnesota
The Minnesota chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations or CAIR said security cameras recorded an unidentified person leaving the area.
CAIR is calling for an investigation into possible bias motive for the fire.
Minneapolis police say they are investigating to determine if the fire was suspicious.
A Muslim civil rights group is calling for an investigation into a possible hate crime after a Warren mosque and nearby construction equipment were vandalized over the weekend.
The Michigan chapter of Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-MI) is also offering a $1,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of whoever is responsible.
The Islamic Organization of North America (IONA), the first mosque established in Warren, reported broken windows, wall damage, and graffiti inside the mosque and on equipment used for its expansion project.
The vandalism occurred sometime between late Saturday night and early Sunday morning, according to CAIR-MI.
Mosque officials have notified the Warren Police Department.
“We call on anyone who witnessed this vandalism or was told about this criminal act to immediately contact the Warren Police Department,” CAIR-MI Executive Director Dawud Walid said in a statement Tuesday. “There is no valid justification for anyone to vandalize private property, especially a house of worship.”
Steve Neavling is an award-winning investigative journalist who operated Motor City Muckraker, an online news site devoted to exposing abuses of power and holding public officials accountable. Neavling…
More by Steve Neavling
Apparent Israeli airstrike kills at least 18 people at a mosque in central Gaza
Updated: 9:53 PM PDT Oct 5, 2024
ON MATTER OF FACT. MONDAY MARKS ONE YEAR SINCE HAMAS LAUNCHED ITS VIOLENT ATTACK ON ISRAEL, INCLUDING KILLING HUNDREDS AT A MUSIC FESTIVAL, AND ISRAEL BEGAN ITS DEADLY RESPONSE. MICHIGAN IS 6000 MILES AWAY FROM THE FIGHTING, YET WHAT’S UNFOLDING IN THE MIDDLE EAST IS THE PRIMARY CONCERN FOR TENS OF THOUSANDS OF VOTERS IN THAT BATTLEGROUND STATE. MICHIGAN’S ARAB AMERICAN POPULATION TOPS 300,000. THE LARGEST IN THE U.S., AND IN DEARBORN, THAT COMMUNITY IS NOW THE MAJORITY. PRESIDENT JOE BIDEN NARROWLY WON MICHIGAN IN 2020, THANKS IN PART TO ARAB AMERICANS VOTING FOR HIM BY ABOUT 70%. WELL, NOW THAT COMMUNITY IS THREATENING TO WITHDRAW ITS SUPPORT FOR THE DEMOCRATIC PRESIDENTIAL TICKET. OUR CORRESPONDENT DINA DEMETRIUS TRAVELED TO DEARBORN TO TALK TO ARAB AMERICAN LEADERS WHO SAY THEY’RE FEELING BACKED INTO A POLITICAL CORNER. FREE, FREE, FREE PALESTINE. FREE FREE FREE PALESTINE. THERE’S GRIEF AND ANGER OVER THE WAR IN GAZA. AT A RALLY OUTSIDE THIS YEAR’S ARABCON. WE DON’T HAVE TO BE SO MUCH ON THE DEFENSIVE INSIDE A DEBATE OVER HOW THAT SHOULD AFFECT ARAB AMERICAN VOTES. WE SHOULD REALLY STRICT STRATEGICALLY IN MAKING SURE THAT OUR VOTE IS NOT WASTED. THERE’S A LOT OF FRUSTRATION IN THE COMMUNITY. AYOUB HEADS THE AMERICAN-ARAB ANTI-DISCRIMINATION COMMITTEE. REALLY, THEY’RE SICK AND TIRED OF THEIR VOICE AND THEIR VOTE BEING TAKEN FOR GRANTED. DEARBORN IS BEST KNOWN AS THE HOME OF FORD HEADQUARTERS. NOW IT’S ALSO KNOWN FOR ITS ARAB AMERICAN COMMUNITY. FOR DECADES, IT ALIGNED WITH CONSERVATIVE REPUBLICANS, BUT NINE OVER 11 AND THE WAR ON TERROR SWUNG THE PENDULUM SOLIDLY TO THE DEMOCRATS. OSAMA SIBLANI IS PUBLISHER OF THE ARAB AMERICAN NEWS. WE HAVE SUPPORTED REPUBLICANS. WE HAVE SUPPORTED DEMOCRATS AS WELL. WHAT’S DIFFERENT NOW ON THE TOP OF THE TICKET AND EVEN PROBABLY ON THE SENATORIAL LEVEL, WE ARE NOT WE ARE NOT GOING TO BE VOTING FOR EITHER A REPUBLICAN OR A DEMOCRAT. WE PROBABLY WILL NOT VOTE WITH 40,000 GAZANS KILLED. THEY’RE FRUSTRATED WITH THE BIDEN-HARRIS ADMINISTRATION’S CONTINUED AID TO ISRAEL, BUT THEY ALSO SEE PERIL IN FORMER PRESIDENT TRUMP AND HIS SO-CALLED MUSLIM BAN IN 2017, CREATING A MORAL AND POLITICAL BIND. WE WANT AMERICA TO BE IN GOOD HANDS. I DO NOT BELIEVE IN DONALD TRUMP AS A PRESIDENT, AND THAT IS NOT AN ENDORSEMENT FOR KAMALA HARRIS. DONALD TRUMP IS A THREAT TO OUR COUNTRY. SO HE’S OUT OF THE QUESTION. WE ARE NOT GOING TO BE VOTING FOR ANY GENOCIDE THIS NOVEMBER. AND THAT’S THE DIFFICULT SITUATION, RIGHT? WHERE YOU HAVE THE DOMESTIC ISSUES NOW THAT YOU REALLY NEED TO PAY ATTENTION TO AND THEIR IMPACT AND THERE IS NO STRAIGHT ANSWER, BUT THE UNDERLYING FEELING IN ALL OF THOSE CONVERSATIONS IS GENOCIDE IS THE RED LINE. EVERY ONE OF THOSE PEOPLE IN GAZA JUST AREN’T PALESTINIANS. THEY’RE OUR BROTHERS AND SISTERS AND BESIDES ALL OF THAT, I’M I’M A HUMAN BEING. I’M AN AMERICAN. I DON’T WANT MY TAX DOLLARS BEING USED TO KILL INNOCENT MEN, WOMEN AND CHILDREN. THESE LEADERS IN THE UNCOMMITTED NATIONAL MOVEMENT HAVE STAKED OUT A MIDEAST ANTI WAR EFFORT WITHIN THE DEMOCRATIC PARTY IN DEMOCRATIC PRIMARIES ACROSS THE COUNTRY. THEY CAMPAIGNED FOR UNCOMMITTED PROTEST VOTES. IT WORKED, AND IT WAS A MESSAGE TO THE TOP OF THE TICKET. WE HAVE GONE TO THE ADMINISTRATION AND WE HAVE SAID WE ARE WILLING TO MOBILIZE OUR VOTERS. WE HAVE TURNED OUT 101,000 VOTERS IN MICHIGAN OVER CLOSE TO A MILLION VOTERS NATIONWIDE. WE ARE WILLING TO MOBILIZE THAT BASE FOR YOU IF YOU ENGAGE IN CONVERSATION AND ACTION THAT SHOWS POLICY CHANGE AND THAT POLICY COULD LOOK LIKE UPHOLDING LEAHY LAW, OUR OWN AMERICAN JUSTICE SYSTEM, IT COULD LOOK LIKE UPHOLDING INTERNATIONAL HUMANITARIAN LAW. WE NEED A FULL ON STOP OF WEAPONS TRANSFERS AND WEAPONS AIDS TO ISRAEL AS THEY ARE CARRYING OUT A COLLECTIVE PUNISHMENT OF PALESTINIANS. BUT EVEN WITH 30 DELEGATES AT THE DEMOCRATIC CONVENTION, THE GROUP SAW NO SIGNALS OF A POLICY SHIFT AND NO PALESTINIANS WERE INVITED TO SPEAK. NOW, UNCOMMITTED HAS WITHHELD AN ENDORSEMENT OF HARRIS WHILE ALSO WARNING AGAINST TRUMP OR A THIRD PARTY THAT COULD HELP HIM WIN. BUT DOESN’T IT ALSO DEPRESS THE VOTE THAT POTENTIALLY COULD PUT TRUMP IN OFFICE TO NOT MOBILIZE ARAB AMERICAN VOTERS HERE IN MICHIGAN, WHERE THEY ARE SO IMPORTANT, RIGHT? WOULDN’T THAT POTENTIALLY ALSO, ASIDE FROM VOTING FOR WHY ARE WE BLAMING VOTERS FOR THE PARTY NOT DOING ITS JOB AS A CANDIDATE? IS YOUR RESPONSIBILITY TO MAKE PEOPLE BELIEVE IN THE VISION THAT YOU ARE PUSHING? AND IF YOU DON’T DO THAT JOB AND PEOPLE DON’T VOTE FOR YOU, THAT IS NO ONE’S FAULT OTHER THAN YOUR OWN. WE UNDERSTAND THE RISK OF NOVEMBER, AND WE’D RATHER NOW SHIFT OUR ENERGY TO GETTING OUR COMMUNITIES TO UNDERSTAND WHAT’S AT RISK AND WHAT’S AT STAKE. WOULD YOU SAY THE ARAB-AMERICAN COMMUNITY FEELS POLITICALLY HOMELESS NOW? I THINK SO. I THINK POLITICALLY HOMELESS IS A GOOD DESCRIPTION. I WILL SAY THIS. I THINK THE THIRD PARTY APPEAL IS SOMETHING THAT NEEDS TO BE TAKEN SERIOUSLY. NOT MAYBE NOT IN THIS ELECTION, BUT I THINK IN TWO YEARS AND FOUR YEARS, WHAT DO WE DO ON NOVEMBER SIXTH? THE RESULTS ARE NOT GOING TO BE NOT SURPRISING THAT JILL STEIN IS NOT THERE ANYMORE. WHAT DO WE DO? CAN WE MAKE A STATEMENT WITHOUT HURTING OUR POLITICAL INVOLVEMENT? CAN YOU? I THINK WE CAN. I REALLY DO. IF WE DO NOT VOTE FOR THE PRESIDENT, WE ARE NOT MARGINALIZED. AND I THINK THAT THEY HAVE TO THINK ABOUT IT, THAT THIS POINT OR ONE POINT, WE CAN EASILY MAKE IT. LET THEM SWEAT IT OUT A LITTLE
An apparent Israeli airstrike early Sunday killed at least 18 people in central Gaza, Palestinian medical officials said.The strike hit a mosque sheltering displaced people near the al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital in the town of Deir al-Balah, the hospital said in a statement.Video above: Arab American Voters Struggle With Supporting Presidential CandidatesAn Associated Press journalist counted the bodies at the hospital morgue. Hospital records showed that the dead were all men. Another two men were critically wounded, the hospital said.The Israeli military did not immediately comment about the strike on the mosque.The latest strikes add to the mounting Palestinian death toll in Gaza, which is now nearing 42,000, according to the Palestinian Health Ministry. The ministry does not differentiate between civilian and militant deaths, but many of the dead were women and children.
DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip —
An apparent Israeli airstrike early Sunday killed at least 18 people in central Gaza, Palestinian medical officials said.
The strike hit a mosque sheltering displaced people near the al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital in the town of Deir al-Balah, the hospital said in a statement.
Video above: Arab American Voters Struggle With Supporting Presidential Candidates
An Associated Press journalist counted the bodies at the hospital morgue. Hospital records showed that the dead were all men. Another two men were critically wounded, the hospital said.
The Israeli military did not immediately comment about the strike on the mosque.
The latest strikes add to the mounting Palestinian death toll in Gaza, which is now nearing 42,000, according to the Palestinian Health Ministry. The ministry does not differentiate between civilian and militant deaths, but many of the dead were women and children.
NEW YORK — A float in Sunday’s upcoming India Day Parade in New York City that celebrates a Hindu temple built over a razed mosque in India is being criticized as anti-Muslim.
The Indian American Muslim Council and other faith-based groups have called on parade organizers to remove a float featuring the Ram Mandir, saying the temple is considered a symbol glorifying the destruction of mosques and violence against Muslims in the South Asian nation.
Hindus make up about 80% of India’s population, but the country is also home to about 200 million Muslims who have frequently come under attack by Hindu nationalists.
“This float presence represents these groups’ desire to conflate Hindu nationalist ideology with Indian identity,” the organization and others wrote in a letter earlier this month addressed to New York Gov. Kathy Hochul and New York City Mayor Eric Adams. “This is not merely a cultural display, but a vulgar celebration of anti-Muslim heat, bigotry, and religious supremacy.”
Parade organizers have rejected calls to remove the float, saying it celebrates the inauguration of a sacred landmark that is significant to hundreds of millions of Hindus.
“As we celebrate what we consider a vital aspect of our faith through the celebration of the landmark, we unequivocally reject violence and hate in any form, including any damage to any religious place of worship,” Ankur Vaidya, chairman of the Federation of Indian Associations, which is organizing the event, said in a statement. “We stand for peaceful coexistence and encourage everyone to embrace this value.”
The association bills the parade as a celebration of the “rich tapestry of India’s cultural diversity,” with floats representing not just Hindu but Muslim, Sikh and Christian faiths participating over the years.
Vaidya also noted in his statement that the theme for this year’s parade is “Vasudev Kutumbakam,” a Sanskrit phrase that translates to “the world is one family.”
Now in its 42nd year, the event is among the largest of its kind outside of India, with tens of thousands of people turning out to see Bollywood celebrities and Indian sports stars in a rolling celebration along Manhattan’s Madison Avenue. The annual parade marks the end of British rule and the establishment of an independent India on Aug. 15, 1947.
Workers decorate a temple dedicated to Hindu deity Lord Ram with flowers the day before the temple’s grand opening in Ayodhya, India, Sunday, Jan. 21, 2024.
AP Photo/Rajesh Kumar Singh, File
The Ram Mandir broke ground in 2020 following a protracted legal battle in India’s holy city of Ayodhya.
The temple was built atop the ruins of the 16th-century Babri mosque, which was destroyed by Hindu nationalist mobs in 1992.
The ornate, pink sandstone structure cost an estimated $217 million and is dedicated to Ram, a god who Hindus believe was born at the site.
Spokespersons for Hochul didn’t immediately respond to emails seeking comment Thursday.
But when asked about the controversy Tuesday at City Hall, Adams said there’s “no room for hate” in New York, which his office said is home to the nation’s largest Indian American population, with more than 247,000 residents.
“I want to send the right symbolic gesture that the city’s open to everyone and there’s no room for hate,” the Democrat said. “If there is a float or a person in the parade that’s promoting hate, they should not.”
In a follow-up email late Thursday, Adams’ office said the mayor has no plans to attend Sunday’s parade, which he has attended in years past.
It also noted that the U.S. Constitution’s First Amendment prevents the city from denying a permit or requiring that a float or parade’s message be changed simply because it does not agree with the content.
“From day one, the mayor has been clear that celebrations in our city should be welcoming and inclusive,” the office wrote. “The mayor has always centered communities first, emphasizing that when we come together as one, we practice respect and grace, set politics aside, and embrace the rich melting pot that is New York City.”
A federal lawsuit alleges Lodi Township prevented the construction of a mosque.
A Muslim advocacy group filed a federal lawsuit against a Washtenaw County township on Thursday, alleging local officials are making it impossible to open a mosque.
The lawsuit, filed by the Michigan chapter of the Council on American Islamic Relations (CAIR-MI), claims Lodi Township has unconstitutional zoning laws and practices that violate the religious rights of Muslims.
Masjid Al-Farook, a nonprofit, filed an application for rezoning to develop an Islamic place of worship on Ellesworth Road in 2021 in Lodi Township near Ann Arbor. In March 2024, the Lodi Township Planning Commission recommended that the Board of Trustees deny the application. Trustees said they have no plan to take any action on the recommendation, leaving the Muslim community with no recourse other than filing a lawsuit challenging the township’s zoning ordinance and master plan, the lawsuit states.
The township has just one zoning district where places of worship are permitted to exist, yet there’s no land within that district to build a place of worship, the lawsuit alleges.
“Lodi Township’s current zoning ordinance makes it impossible for any new place of worship to be developed within the township which is an abject violation of RLUIPA (Religious Land Use And Institutionalized Persons Act) and the U.S. Constitution,” CAIR-MI staff attorney Amy Doukoure said in a statement. “Despite being on notice since at least 2021 that their zoning scheme likely violated Masjid Al-Farook’s constitutional and legal rights, the Township has voted to deny their request for rezoning and took no action to review their zoning ordinance until Masjid Al-Farook demanded that they finally take action. Despite the time that has elapsed since the original request for rezoning has been filed, the Township has been unable to rectify their zoning ordinance and bring it in compliance with their obligations under the U.S. Constitution and federal law.”
The lawsuit alleges the township violated RLUIPA and the First and Fourteenth Amendments of the U.S. Constitution.
The Muslim community has no place of worship in the township.
Under the township’s master plan, local officials only approved one application for a rezoning of a religious institution, and that was for the expansion of a preexisting Christian church.
“Lodi Township, like the many other municipalities, has taken the route of restricting development and expansions of religious institutions for American Muslims,” CAIR-MI Executive Director Dawud Walid said. “After nearly three years of waiting and giving the Township time to fix their zoning scheme, CAIR-MI has no other choice than to assert the Muslim community’s rights through litigation.”
This isn’t the first time CAIR-MI has sued a Michigan community for allegedly thwarting plans to build a mosque. In 2022, the advocacy group settled a similar lawsuit on behalf of Adam Community Center against the city of Troy after the municipality denied variances that would have allowed the development of the first mosque in the city. As part of the settlement, Troy paid undisclosed monetary damages and acknowledged that the property could be used for a place of worship.
In 2o16, the Michigan Islamic Academy in Ann Arbor settled a lawsuit, filed by CAIR-MI, that alleged Pittsfield Township prevented the construction of a 70,000-square-foot Islamic school. The academy was awarded $1.7 million and granted the right to build the school.
A San Francisco man suspected of vandalizing a Nob Hill mosque was arrested Wednesday evening while visiting the scene of his alleged crime for the second time in as many days.
San Francisco resident Robert Gray, 35, was booked on one felony count of vandalism with damage of more than $400 and a misdemeanor violation of civil rights by damaging another property. He currently sits in a county jail.
Neither Gray nor a representative were reached for comment.
San Francisco Police officers responded to a call from congregants of Masjid al-Tawheed mosque around 7:55 p.m. on Wednesday. Mosque-goers told police that Gray was the man who had vandalized their sanctuary on April 4, having recognized him for security footage.
Arriving officers detained Gray after they concluded he matched the description of the suspect wanted in the attack.
“Through the course of their investigation, officers developed probable cause [for] arrest,” Police spokesperson Paulina Henderson said in a statement.
Henderson said the investigation was still active and police were looking for more information.
Surveillance video obtained by the San Francisco Standard shows a man with a skateboard smashing multiple mosque windows on April 4.
The man returned to the mosque, according to the Standard, on Tuesday and Wednesday. During the latter incident, mosque congregants confronted Gray and distracted him long enough to call police, who arrived in time to arrest him.
“Community members were living in fear for the last two weeks,” said Yemeni American Aseel Fara, 24, a Masjid al-Tawheed mosque member and a San Francisco Immigrant Rights Commissioner.
Fara said the incident shocked many community members who emigrated to San Francisco because of its pluralistic society.
He said he received a call from another Bay Area mosque that suffered similar vandalism incident wanting to review surveillance footage to see if Gray was involved.
“You don’t expect this here,” he said. “This has been very divisive and hopefully we can begin to heal thanks to this arrest.”
The news of Gray’s arrest was celebrated by the Council on American-Islamic Relations Bay Area chapter.
“We are relieved that an arrest has been made in these distressing incidents,” CAIR Bay Area Executive Director Zahra Billoo said in a statement. “It’s important for our community to see tangible actions being taken to protect our places of worship, where everyone has the right to feel safe and secure.”
Billoo said that the number of complaints of Islamophobia made nationwide is at a 30-year high.
There were 8,061 reports received by CAIR last year. The organization said nearly half of those complaints took place in the last three months since the Oct. 7 Hamas’ assault on Israel that sparked a war, resulting in the killing of 30,000-plus Palestinians by Israeli forces. That number of Islamophobic complaints represents a 56% increase in incidents from 2022 to 2023, according to the organization.
“This arrest sends a clear message that hate-driven behaviors will not be overlooked and serves as a reminder of the ongoing challenges we face in combating Islamophobia,” Billoo said.
LANCASTER, Calif. — A Lancaster teen is being termed a “serial swatter” allegedly responsible for hundreds of swatting incidents and bomb threats throughout the United States and is now facing charges in Florida, according to a pretrial detention motion.
Alan Filion, 17, was extradited to Florida on Jan. 30 to face charges for a swatting incident at a mosque, according to the Seminole County State Attorney’s Office.
Swatting is making a false report to the police with the intention of luring them to a location by saying a violent crime has taken place or is in progress.
The dangerous hoax has been on the FBI’s radar for nearly two decades and became more widely known as celebrities were targeted. The troubling trend recently took a political turn as federal judges and lawmakers have been subject to the false emergency calls, along with state capitol buildings and even the White House.
Filion threatened a mass shooting at the Masjid Al Hayy Mosque in Sanford, Florida, in a May 2023 phone call to law enforcement, according to a news release from the Seminole County Sheriff’s Office.
During the call, Filion said he had a handgun and explosive devices, the release said. In a 911 call released by the department, the caller is heard saying he is going to “commit a mass shooting in the name of Satan.” Gunfire is heard in the recording.
Approximately 30 law enforcement officers responded to the mosque, the sheriff’s office said.
Filion also targeted high schools, historically Black colleges, mosques, FBI offices and FBI agents, and made threats to bomb military bases and the Pentagon, the state attorney’s office said in a court filing.
The Seminole County Sheriff’s Office said law enforcement officers worked with the FBI and the Department of Justice to track the mosque 911 call to Filion’s home in Lancaster, California.
The sheriff’s office said the teen created several accounts on websites offering swatting services and “various IP addresses connected to these accounts” led to his home address.
In July 2023, officials said they executed a search warrant at Filion’s home address. He was arrested on January 18.
Filion was charged as an adult and faces three felony charges of false reporting and a felony charge of unlawful use of a two-way communication device. Each charge accuses him of committing the acts while facilitating or furthering an act of terrorism and while showing prejudice.
Court records show Filion has entered a plea of not guilty and remains in custody. An attorney representing him declined comment to CNN.
“Swatting is a perilous and senseless crime, which puts innocent lives in dangerous situations and drains valuable resources. The substantial law enforcement response in this swatting case underscores our unwavering dedication to community safety and holding offenders accountable, regardless of where they are located,” Seminole County Sheriff Dennis Lemma said.
“Make no mistake, we will continue to work tirelessly in collaboration with our policing partners and the judiciary to apprehend swatting perpetrators.”
