Missouri mosque destroyed in second fire in a month

A mosque in Joplin, Missouri, was burned to the ground early Monday, just over a month after an attempted arson at the Islamic centre, officials said.

Authorities are investigating the cause of the latest fire. The mosque's

security cameras were destroyed in the blaze, according to Sharon Rhine of the Jasper County Sheriff's Office.

"This incident should not stop us from worshiping our God," one member of the Islamic Society of Joplin told CNN affiliate KYTV. "We are going to find a place probably to continue our service to God."

Kimberly Kester, another member, said the blaze was so intense that the building's bricks were still sizzling hours after the fire.

Carl Junction Fire Chief Bill Dunn called it a "complete loss."

Though investigators haven't determined the cause, Kester suspects it to be another incident of arson.

"I think this act of hate will bring us together," she told CNN iReport.

The FBI is already investigating a fire that scorched the roof of the building on July 4 and has offered a $15,000 reward in conjunction with the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. The bureau has released surveillance video and a photograph of a man caught on surveillance cameras throwing some sort of incendiary device onto the building in that incident.(1)

 

Weird. Hopefully not done out of some kind of stupid hate crime, but it's possible.

 

Note:

(1)  source