Blast rocks Bloomington Islamic center

[Julian Englis]

Source: Star-Tribune

Early morning worshipers at a busy Bloomington mosque were shaken Saturday by an explosion that left shattered windows in the imam’s office.

The blast was reported at the Dar Al Farooq Islamic Center at 5:05 a.m., a time when 15 to 20 people are usually gathered for morning prayers, and awoke many residents of the neighborhood. No one was hurt, and damage was largely confined to the imam’s office, but congregants and neighbors expressed shock and fear.

While investigators had not yet determined the exact cause of the blast, congregants and some neighbors said it appeared to be a hate crime. Mohamed Omar, executive director of the center, said one worshiper saw a pickup truck speed out of the mosque’s parking lot just after the blast.

At a noon news conference at the mosque, Asad Zaman, director of the local Muslim American Society, said a witness saw something being thrown at the imam’s office window from a “van or truck” before the blast.

Read more: http://www.startribune.com/blast-investigated-at-bloomington-islamic-center/438715693/#1

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Anyone want to bet that Trump will ignore or downplay this act of terrorism?

[AJT]

1. Which Bloomington?

[TygrBright]

2. Bloomington, MN

A very substantial city and contiguous with Minneapolis.

sadly,
Bright

[dflprincess]

6. Actually Edina, Richfield and MSP

Are between Bloomington and Minneapolis. Bloomington's only claim to fame is that the Mall of America is there.

[Still In Wisconsin]

3. "Anyone want to bet that Trump will ignore or downplay this act of terrorism?"

Are you kidding me? TRUMP probably approves of this act.

[47of74]

10. Yeah

President Obama would have interrupted any vacation he was on to condemn this act. But now the Orange Shit probably can't be bothered to condemn this terrorist attack.

[MineralMan]

4. Bloomington, MN, a suburb just South of Minneapolis.

We're not immune to right-wing creeps here in Minnesota. We have our share of them. This sucks!

[oberliner]

5. Note this tweet from a few days ago

Link to tweet

[TexasBushwhacker]

13. Guess who the "famous Republican" is?

Michelle Bachman

[Kleveland]

7. The election of *Rump is in fact an act of terrorism in and of itself!

Look what it has done to the citizens of this country!

This evil redirection of the ignorant, who are prone to looking for someone to blame, is surely not a stabilizing act of peace!

All the while, they are occupied with their hateful knee jerk reactions, things are being done to all of us that jeopardize our life, liberty, and pursuit of happiness.

How can we go on like this?

[Ford_Prefect]

8. WH is on weekend shut down due to Golf so no response yet. There will be none, only post-event blame

[Doug the Dem]

9. Good, Solid Chrisssssssstians, I'm Sure

[Bernardo de La Paz]

11. How long before any of the bigots jump on it and call it christian terrorism?

Will crickets chirp first?

[applegrove]

12. Trump will comment on it in ... 999,977,297,000,240,752,034,700,207,023,

......999,977,297,000,240,752,034,700,207,022, ....... ......999,977,297,000,240,752,034,700,207,021,

[DK504]

14. "Anyone want to bet that Trump will ignore or downplay this act of terrorism?"

He will either ignore it or blame the Muslim population for the act of terrorism committed against them.

[Julian Englis]

15. Update--FBI: 'Improvised explosive device' caused blast at Bloomington Islamic center

http://www.startribune.com/blast-investigated-at-bloomington-islamic-center/438715693/

A blast caused by what the FBI called “an improvised explosive device” rocked a Bloomington Islamic center before dawn Saturday, just as a small group of Muslim worshipers had gathered for the day’s first round of prayers.

No one was hurt in the explosion, which heavily damaged an imam’s office at the Dar Al Farooq Center and sent smoke wafting through the large building. Windows in the office were shattered, either by the blast or by an object thrown through them.

The blast was reported at 5:05 a.m. as about a dozen people gathered in a room nearby for morning prayers and jolted awake many residents of the neighborhood. Congregants and neighbors expressed relief that there were no injuries, but also reacted with shock and dismay.

When police arrived, they found smoke and fire damage to the building, said Bloomington Police Chief Jeff Potts. Agents from the FBI and the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives soon joined the investigation. A large area outside the center was taped off as investigators, including members of the FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Force, combed through the grass.

[inanna]

16. Gov. Mark Dayton calls Bloomington mosque blast "act of terrorism"

August 6, 2017 — 5:59pm

Gov. Mark Dayton called the explosion at a Bloomington Islamic center “an act of terrorism” during a visit Sunday.

“What a terrible, dastardly, cowardly act was committed,” Dayton said of the Saturday incident, calling the attack “a hate crime.”

“Anything I can do to put a stop to it, I would gladly do,” he said.

Dayton and a delegation of public officials visited the Dar Al Farooq Islamic center in Bloomington before noon Sunday, just one day after an explosion rocked the building. No one was injured and the damage was contained, but the incident reverberated beyond the neighborhood, the city and the state.

...

http://www.startribune.com/investigation-continues-into-bloomington-mosque-blast-dayton/438849813/