Authorities: Arrest made in arson fire at Florida mosque
FORT PIERCE, Fla. (AP) — An arrest has been made in the arson fire that heavily damaged the Florida mosque Orlando nightclub gunman Omar Mateen occasionally attended, a law enforcement official said today.
St. Lucie County Sheriff's Office spokesman Bryan Beaty confirmed in an email to The Associated Press an arrest had been made, but he declined to disclose any details pending a news conference the agency scheduled later in the evening.
The Islamic Center of Fort Pierce sustained extensive damage in a fire set late Sunday on the 15th anniversary of the 9/11 terror attacks. The blaze also coincided with the Muslim holiday Eid al-Adha.
No one was injured. The fire burned a 10-by-10-foot hole in the roof at the back of the mosque's main building and blackened its eaves with soot.
Given the timing, investigators believe the blaze may have been a hate crime, St. Lucie County sheriff's spokesman Maj. David Thompson has said.
Mateen was killed by police after opening fire at the Pulse nightclub June 12 in a rampage that left 49 victims dead and 53 wounded. He professed allegiance to the Islamic State group. His father is among roughly 100 people who attend the mosque.