Mosque in US burned, hate attack doubted

WASHINGTON - Agence France-Presse

Firefighter works to extinguish the smoldering remains of the Joplin mosque. AP photo

A mosque burned to the ground in the midwestern United States on Aug. 6, in what worshipers suspect was a hate attack, less than a day after a deadly shooting at a Sikh temple. No one was hurt in the incident.

Firefighters and police were called to the Islamic Center in Joplin, Missouri about an hour before Muslims were about to pray during Ramadan, according to the FBI. Aug. 6’s blaze followed an attack on July 4, when an unidentified suspect threw a petrol bomb onto the roof of the same mosque, causing minor damage. The local Muslim community said the fire was one of a series of attacks on their mosque since it was founded in 2007.