Mosque Fire In New Haven, Connecticut, Believed To Be Arson

Investigators believe a mosque that caught fire over the weekend in Connecticut was due to arson.

The fire occurred Sunday afternoon at Diyanet Mosque in New Haven, Connecticut, which was still under construction. Firefighters responded to the fire around 4 p.m. and were able to put it out but not before significant damage was done to the first two floors. No one was hurt and firefighters were able to get one person who was inside the mosque out safely.

Once the fire was safely extinguished, investigators got to work trying to figure out a possible cause. Evidence in the building quickly pointed to arson.

“We've detected that there is intent in this fire. This was intentionally set,” New Haven Fire Chief John Alston said.

This makes it the latest in a string of attacks on religious buildings over the last few months. These include the recent Christchurch mosque shootings in New Zealand and the California synagogue shootings.

“To the community at large, and every other house of worship, we are taking this very serious. We are working with or federal and state partners to make sure there is not underlying issue to the greater community—to the greater religious community,” said New Haven Police Chief Otoniel Reyes.

Connecticut Gov. Ned Lamont also took to Twitter to denounce the attack, calling it “disgusting and appalling.”

The FBI and the Federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms are both assisting local law enforcement with the investigation. Authorities are also offering a $2,500 reward for information leading to an arrest, along with a $10,000 reward from Connecticut chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations.