The Titusville Police Department asked for help Sunday finding the person who vandalized a downtown mosque in what the Council on American-Islamic Relations said might be a hate crime.
According to police, a man pulled a machete from a bag he had with him late Friday night and used it to slash at The Islamic Society of Central Florida Masjid Al-Munin Mosque before leaving three pounds of bacon by the mosque's front door.
“The use of pork in an incident of this type is one clear indicator of a possible bias motive for the vandalism,” said Nezar Hamze, the Council on American-Islamic Relations' Florida regional operations director.
Surveillance footage showed a man arriving in the mosque's carport at 11 p.m. Friday. He broke several cameras, lights and windows before fleeing the scene, according to police.
“The statement he’s trying to make is that we’re not welcome there,” said Muhammad Musri, president of the Islamic Society of Central Florida. “We are on heightened alert. We are very nervous.”
Police did not identify any possible suspects in the case.
