Hit-and-run at Minneapolis mosque investigated as possible hate crime

Minneapolis police are investigating a hit-and-run accident that occurred outside a mosque on Wednesday as a possible hate crime.

According to a police news release, a 36-year-old man was retrieving items from his car in the parking lot of the Alhikma Islamic Center around 12 p.m. when a minivan drove quickly toward him. The man attempted to flee, but the driver swerved and struck him. The man was taken to Hennepin Healthcare with non-life-threatening injuries. The driver left the scene of the accident.

The incident occurred in the 100 block of W. 32nd St. in south Minneapolis.

Police located and arrested the 37-year-old driver on Wednesday evening. He had not been charged with any crime as of Thursday morning. The Sahan Journal generally does not name suspects who have not been charged.

Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O'Hara said in the news release that the suspect was known to police and that he had a history of “trespassing and erratic behavior,” particularly at the mosque and in the neighborhood.

“Based on the information our investigators have gathered to date, I am concerned that this crime may be motivated by bias,” O’Hara said in the news release. “We do not tolerate crime in our city. But hate crimes and crimes against our places of worship are particularly disturbing because they cause widespread fear and potential division among our citizens.”

The Minnesota chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-Minnesota) issued a press release identifying the man who was attacked as one of their employees.

“This apparent intentional attack outside a religious institution must be investigated as a possible hate crime,” Jaylani Hussein, executive director of CAIR-Minnesota, said in the news release. “We call for greater security and increased vigilance at Islamic institutions across the state.”