Minnesota mosque explosion investigated by federal authorities

iStock/Thinkstock(MINNEAPOLIS) — An explosion on Saturday morning at a mosque in a Minneapolis suburb shattered windows in the imam’s office but did not injure anyone, officials said.

The blast rang out at the Dar Al-Farooq Islamic Center in Bloomington around 5 a.m. CDT, when over a dozen people were gathering inside for morning prayers. Although no one was hurt in the explosion, it damaged the imam’s office and awoke many residents in the neighborhood, according to Bloomington Police Chief Jeff Potts.

At a press conference Saturday afternoon, Potts said investigators are working to determine the cause of the blast. Preliminary findings indicate it came from a destructive device in violation of federal law, he said.

The FBI and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives are involved in the probe.

Asad Zaman, director of the Muslim American Society of Minnesota, condemned the explosion at the mosque, which serves as a religious center and community organizing platform for Muslims in the area. Zaman said the blast appears to be a hate crime, and the society is offering a $10,000 reward for information that leads to an arrest or conviction.

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