Suspect in Philadelphia Mosque Arson Indicted on Federal Hate Crime Count
Now, the man accused of setting fire to the mosque has been charged with damaging a religious property.
Vincent Lang, 60, allegedly threw an incendiary device into the Northeast Philadelphia Islamic Center at 1421 Tyson Ave. in the early hours of July 5. The mosque caught fire, and the blaze spread around the street-facing entrance of the building before firefighters extinguished it. Investigators found no occupants and reported no injuries at the time.
Security cameras captured video of a person in a black hooded Nike sweatshirt approaching the front porch of the mosque and throwing a flaming object through the entryway. Agents with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives later identified this person as Lang through a tip from an anonymous source. This source told investigators that Lang "was outspoken in his anti-Islamic and other racist views, and had discussed using fire to damage mosques." According to the criminal complaint, the informant also disclosed that Lang drove a black Hyundai Santa Fe with anti-Islamic messages written on the windows.
Investigators found that a vehicle registered to Lang matched this description. Someone had written "F--- Islam," "F--- Allah" and "White Pride" on the rear and passenger windows, investigators said. A subsequent review of Lang's phone records allegedly placed him in the area of the mosque around 1:29 a.m. on July 5.
Officials also linked Lang to a Facebook account that espoused violent Islamophobic sentiments. One post urged readers to "burn these mosques with mozzeltof cocktails or whatever." The account also cheered the arson at Northeast Philadelphia Islamic Center through comments on multiple posts containing surveillance footage from the mosque.
"How can it be a hate crime they might have done it out of love (red heart emoji)," one comment read. "Love for country and love for the children of the neighborhood."
"Are there any other people with b---- like this guy," another read. "Please stand up for this type s--- from these people but these people standing up for Muslims are not here for helping Americans so take them out."
Lang, who faces up to 40 years in federal prison, initially was detained and arrested on July 16. His charges include one count of damage to a religious property and another count of malicious damage to a building used in interstate commerce.
The Philly chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, which had offered a $2,500 reward, applauded the indictment Thursday.
"This indictment sends an important message that attacks targeting houses of worship because of their faith are not ordinary crimes, they are assaults on the fundamental civil rights and religious freedom of entire communities," Dr. Ahmet Tekelioglu, executive director of CAIR-Philadelphia, said in a statement. "We appreciate the US Attorney's Office and federal law enforcement for recognizing the seriousness of these allegations through the addition of a civil rights charge. Every person, regardless of faith, deserves to worship without fear of intimidation or violence."
Source: Phillyvoice.com
