Front door of mosque in Texas set on fire by unknown people; authorities considering possibility of hate crime

Houston: The front door of a mosque was set on fire by some unidentified people in a possible hate crime incident on Friday, prompting US authorities to declare a cash reward of USD 5,000 for information leading to the culprits. [caption id=“attachment_4780791” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] Representational image. AFP[/caption] The incident was reported in the wee hours at the ISGH Northshore Masjid Isa Ibn Maryam mosque. The Harris County fire marshal’s office and the Harris County sheriff’s office are investigating the incident as a possible hate crime after the front door of the mosque was torched. A caretaker who lives in the property heard the fire alarm and ran to investigate. He extinguished the fire before it could spread to other parts, media reports said. However, he did not see anyone. According to Rachel Moreno, spokeswoman for the fire marshal’s office, the door was doused in a flammable liquid. “Nobody has said anything about any enemies, but we can tell from the pattern on the door and just the fact that there was no electricity or anything else in the area that it was intentionally started,” Moreno said. Authorities have declared a reward of USD 5,000 for information leading to the culprits. The tires of the vehicle of a cleric were also slashed, officials added.