Oralandar Brand-Williams / The Detroit News
Detroit Federal authorities are investigating today a recent fire at the Islamic Center mosque of North Detroit on the city's east side.
An insurance investigator called in the FBI and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives after determining the April 1 blaze was deliberately set.
"This is definitely a deliberately set fire in my opinion," said Michael Roarty, a senior fire investigator for Unified Investigations & Sciences, Inc. in Clinton Township.
The fire started on the roof. The blaze has forced members of the mosque to hold daily prayers at a nearby school on McDougall, on the city's border with Hamtramck.
Imam Abdul Latif Azom, the cleric at the mosque since 1996, said he believes the fire was caused by an electrical problem. But he said he's not ruling out that the mosque could have been the target because of the Islamic religion.
Dawud Walid, executive director of the Council of American-Islamic Relations of Michigan, said it would be "disturbing" if the mosque was targeted.
"We've had good relations with our neighbors in this community," said Walid today. "We sincerely hope that (FBI and ATF) determine it to be an accident."
From The Detroit News: http://detnews.com/article/20110414...-Feds-probe-Detroit-mosque-fire#ixzz1Je6TvMAI
Detroit Federal authorities are investigating today a recent fire at the Islamic Center mosque of North Detroit on the city's east side.
An insurance investigator called in the FBI and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives after determining the April 1 blaze was deliberately set.
"This is definitely a deliberately set fire in my opinion," said Michael Roarty, a senior fire investigator for Unified Investigations & Sciences, Inc. in Clinton Township.
The fire started on the roof. The blaze has forced members of the mosque to hold daily prayers at a nearby school on McDougall, on the city's border with Hamtramck.
Imam Abdul Latif Azom, the cleric at the mosque since 1996, said he believes the fire was caused by an electrical problem. But he said he's not ruling out that the mosque could have been the target because of the Islamic religion.
Dawud Walid, executive director of the Council of American-Islamic Relations of Michigan, said it would be "disturbing" if the mosque was targeted.
"We've had good relations with our neighbors in this community," said Walid today. "We sincerely hope that (FBI and ATF) determine it to be an accident."
From The Detroit News: http://detnews.com/article/20110414...-Feds-probe-Detroit-mosque-fire#ixzz1Je6TvMAI
