Authorities investigate series of threatening calls made to Minneapolis mosque

MINNEAPOLIS — A Minneapolis mosque said it received more than a dozen threatening, hateful phone calls this weekend.

Leaders at Dar Al-Qalam in northeast Minneapolis said the 14 calls were made from a St. Cloud area code number and contained slurs and threats.

"Islamophobia, bigotry, and hate has no place in Minnesota," Dar Al-Qalam Executive Director Abdifatah Mursal Abdi said.

At one point, they said the caller texted a video of the 2019 deadly mosque shooting in New Zealand.

"This was not only a threat, but a clear intimidation targeting of our mosque. This is not only unacceptable, but it's alarming to our community," CAIR-Minnesota Executive Director Jaylani Hussein said.

Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O'Hara said police responded immediately and began an investigation. O'Hara said while no one was in custody as of Tuesday evening, investigators submitted a case to the Hennepin County Attorney's Office for a charging decision.

"I'm certain cowards like this will be less of a bully when they get a chance in front of a judge than they are when they're hiding in a room threatening others in front of technology," O'Hara said.

CAIR-MN said since 2021, there have been 33 incidents targeting mosques in Minnesota. This summer alone, the site of a new Muslim community center and mosque in St. Anthony was hit eight times, causing more than $20,000 in damage .

Muslim leaders said election years often bring a rise in Islamophobia and anti-immigrant rhetoric. While they try to boost security at mosques statewide, they urge people to report hate whether it's in person or online.

"Words have consequences. Messages have consequences. And we cannot take this lightly," said Islamic Association of North America Executive Director, Imam Yussuf Abdulle.

O'Hara said police will continue to have an increased presence near places of worship.