Arson suspected at mosque where Orlando shooter Omar Mateen worshipped

Mourning for the mass shooting in Orlando in June has turned to violence as police suspect a fire set at a Florida mosque was intentional.

(Image credit: Joe Raedle/Getty Images)

published 12 September 2016

A fire that erupted early Monday at Florida's Fort Pierce Islamic Center was "set intentionally," authorities believe. The mosque was where Omar Mateen, the Orlando nightclub shooter who killed 49 people in a June attack, sometimes worshipped. Though Mateen was killed in a shootout with police, the Islamic Center has reportedly "received threats" since the attack, The Sun Sentinel reported.

"A fire at any place of worship is alarming, regardless of the circumstances," the St. Lucie County sheriff's office said in a statement. "Video captured at the Fort Pierce Islamic Center shows an individual approached the east side of the building just moments before a flash is seen and the fire starts." The fire, which is believed to have been set sometime around midnight, came on the first day of Eid al-Adha, the Islamic holiday of sacrifice, and just after the 15th anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks, which was Sunday.