Philadelphia man indicted in anti-Islamic arson attack on mosque
A Philadelphia man has been indicted for allegedly throwing a gasoline-filled incendiary device into a mosque because it was a Muslim place of worship, according to federal prosecutors. He faces up to 40 years in prison if convicted.
Vincent Lang, 60, was charged with malicious damage by fire to a building used in interstate commerce and damage to religious property, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania. He has remained in federal custody since his arrest on July 16.
The fire was set at around 2:01 a.m. on July 5 at the Northeast Philadelphia Islamic Center at 1421 Tyson Avenue.
Surveillance footage showed a man dressed in dark clothing, gloves and a mask approach the mosque with a bag, open the front entryway and ignite the device while standing in the doorway, according to the criminal complaint.
The man threw the burning device inside and walked away. Seconds later, cameras recorded a bright flash followed by a flash fire and a large blue flame in the entryway.
Firefighters were dispatched at around 2:06 a.m. and extinguished the flames. No one was injured, and the main interior of the mosque was undamaged because two locked doors separated it from the entryway.
The mosque was unoccupied at the time. It holds prayer services five times a day and a summer worship camp for children, but was also undergoing construction when the fire occurred.
Investigators determined that the fire had been deliberately set. An accelerant-detection dog alerted to the area where the device landed, and laboratory testing later found gasoline on burned carpet, melted plastic and paper recovered from the scene.
Investigators received information that Lang had expressed anti-Islamic and racist views, discussed using fire to damage mosques and admitted causing the fire at the Islamic center, according to the complaint.
A black Hyundai Santa Fe matching Lang’s vehicle was recorded near the mosque about 35 minutes before the fire. Another vehicle matching it was seen traveling toward the rear of his home eight minutes after the attacker fled.
Location data from Lang’s phone also placed the device near the mosque between 1:29 and 1:36 a.m., about 25 minutes before the fire.
Investigators later observed anti-Islamic messages and the words “White Pride” handwritten across the windows of Lang’s vehicle.
A Facebook account believed to be operated by Lang called for mosques to be burned with Molotov cocktails in a post five days after the attack. The account described Philadelphia as the first U.S. city to burn a mosque and added that it was “rightfully so in my book.”
The same account also commented on posts containing surveillance footage from the fire, calling for additional mosques to be burned and praising the person responsible.
The indictment alleges that Lang targeted the property specifically because it was a mosque. If convicted, he faces a mandatory minimum of five years and a maximum of 40 years in federal prison.
The post Philadelphia man indicted in anti-Islamic arson attack on mosque appeared first on BNO News.
Ella Rae Greene, Editor In Chief
