Police on Monday were searching for an arsonist suspected of starting a fire at a Southern California mosque and leaving graffiti referencing the recent deadly attacks at two mosques in New Zealand.
Nobody was hurt, and members of the Islamic Center of Escondido (also known as Dar Ul Arqam Mosque) managed to put out the small blaze using a fire extinguisher before firefighters arrived, officials said. The fire, which began around 3:15 a.m. on Sunday, left minor damage to the mosque’s outside facade.
The incident was being investigated as arson and a possible hate crime, said police in the city about 30 miles north of downtown San Diego. Agents from the FBI and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives were assisting with the investigation.
Graffiti was found in the parking lot referencing the shootings earlier this month that killed 50 people at mosques in the city of Christchurch, New Zealand, police Lt. Chris Lick said. He did not elaborate about what it said, but noted an accelerant was used to set the fire — though he couldn't say which kind, The San Diego Union-Tribune reported.
No suspects have been identified, Lick said, and uniformed officers were providing additional patrols in the area. Lick didn’t respond to a KQED email and phone call seeking an update on the investigation.