Breaking: Accelerant Used in SE Houston Islamic Community Fire

[ScreamingMeemie]

http://abc13.com/news/hfd-accelerant-used-in-se-houston-islamic-community-fire/515887/

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HOUSTON (KTRK) -- Fire officials now say an accelerant was used in a fire broke that out at an Islamic community and education center in southeast Houston early Friday morning, and now a group is calling for an investigation into whether the fire was the result of a possible hate crime.

Houston fire officials say the fire at the Quba Islamic Institute started around 5am. The cause of the fire is under investigation, but we've learned HFD says the accelerant was used, which usually points to a purposeful act.

The Council on American-Islamic Relations is calling on state and federal authorities to investigate the fire as a possible hate crime.

That call comes as Ahsan Zahid, assistant Imam at the institute, says he spoke with the Houston arson investigator about their preliminary results.

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Here's the original story, if anyone's interested. http://www.democraticunderground.com/10026219815

[shenmue]

1. Arson?

Damn hate.

[ScreamingMeemie]

2. :(

The comments on the message boards on the news channel (not all of them) made me want to vomit.

[shenmue]

3. I can imagine

I would move to the U.K. or Ireland in a heartbeat, if I had any money.

[ScreamingMeemie]

4. I'm with you there.

[malaise]

5. Duh!

I shouted arson at the TV early this morning.

[ScreamingMeemie]

9. Me too... to go up that quickly.

I should avoided ABC 13's FB page today. Sometimes I really can't stand some of our neighbors.

[malaise]

13. Our species is despicable

Nothing will unite humanity. Man to man is so unjust..yuh don't know who to trust - Bob Marley

[H2O Man]

26. It is strange.

Sometimes I wonder what went wrong in some people's lives, to make them so hateful and destructive. Our culture certainly creates a disturbing percentage of ethically challenged citizens.

[malaise]

28. I just don't get it WaterMan

I'll never get it.

[LittleBlue]

6. Perhaps the arsonists were merely unhappy that the imam parked

in the guest parking. Yeah, we can't really prove this was a hate crime, right guys?

[Fred Sanders]

8. There is so little evidence of Muslim hate in America, why would anyone think this a hate crime? Puzzling.......

[ScreamingMeemie]

11. That's what commenters are saying...

"It's an insurance job..." yeahum

The good thing is there was a guy in a white Dodge pickup harassing a kid outside the center yesterday and a suspicious person was spotted on the property last night, so hopefully they'll get to the bottom of it.

[malaise]

29. Profound

Ah well move along- we're all Danes now

[Fred Sanders]

7. It was clearly a dispute over a parking spot. Will the cops and media go with that again?

[ScreamingMeemie]

12. Clearly.

I'm sure they'd dearly love to because of the updates locally here were, "hold up, hold up, we're not really sure what's happened here."

[Fred Sanders]

15. Time and facts will catch up with them and the obvious.

[ScreamingMeemie]

16. Luckily there were witnesses to a guy harassing a kid while he was walking home right

in front of the center.

[Cali_Democrat]

10. If it happened to a christian church, right wingers would call it a terror attack

...and demand we bomb the shit out of every country in the middle east.

[ScreamingMeemie]

14. Right?

Ugh.

[winter is coming]

25. Correction, if it were a *white* Christian church. n/t

[d06204]

17. These terrorist burned Black churches all the time.

Burning Black churches was a standard tool of intimidation...oh how far we have come...smh.

[ScreamingMeemie]

20. One has only to read the comments on the stories to see we haven't come far at all. :(

[herding cats]

18. That's so messed up.

I hope they catch the person responsible.

[ScreamingMeemie]

21. They seem to have a bit of a start... There was a guy in a mask on the property the

night before, and someone was shouting obscenities from the street the previous afternoon.

[madokie]

19. I'm sick of these hateful bastards who do shit like this

[ScreamingMeemie]

22. Me too.

And the people who support them/post cheers on the news stories. It got rather vicious yesterday.

[Ichingcarpenter]

23. Islamic center in Houston burned down due to parking disagreement (

might as well put this bullshit in

[ScreamingMeemie]

24. Might as well.

I am sick over this. Luckily, it seems that have a bit of a lead.

[Eugene]

27. FBI monitoring investigation of fire at Houston Islamic center

Source: Reuters

FBI monitoring investigation of fire at Houston Islamic center

BY CAMILO SMITH
HOUSTON Sat Feb 14, 2015 11:55am EST

(Reuters) - The FBI is monitoring an investigation into a fire that destroyed a building at an Islamic institute in Houston and could take a more active role, a bureau spokeswoman said on Saturday.

The blaze early on Friday at the Quba Islamic Institute destroyed one of three buildings there, but no one was injured, fire officials have said. The institute has continued operating since the blaze.

Houston Fire Department arson investigators were working to pinpoint the cause of the fire, but no official determination has been made, officials said.

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The Houston FBI office would get more involved in the probe if investigators determine the fire was arson and qualified as a potential hate crime, said special agent Pat Villafranca.

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Read more: http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/02/14/us-usa-texas-fire-idUSKBN0LI0OD20150214