In the video, police say the suspect
is seen pulling a machete from a bag and then using it to cause damage to the
mosque.
Police said several cameras, lights and windows were broken and bacon was also
left by the front door of the mosque. The Quran, the holy book of Islam,
prohibits Muslims from eating pork.
Titusville Police detectives said
they are analyzing the surveillance footage as well as investigating strong
leads.
Anyone with information is asked to call the Titusville Police Department at
(321) 264-7800 or can remain anonymous and be eligible for a reward by calling
Crimeline at (800) 423-TIPS (8477).
The Orlando Regional Coordinator for CAIR, Rasha Mubarak, released this statement to News 13:
We are calling for a local, state and federal hate crime investigation of the vandalism and attempted desecration of this Titusville mosque— the latest such incident in a recent spike in attacks on Muslim houses of worship nationwide.
A similar crime happened in Las Vegas last week. The FBI said on Dec. 27, a man can be seen in a surveillance video putting bacon on the door handles to the entrances of the Masjid-e-Tawheed mosque.
Earlier in December, a severed pig's head was found outside a Philadelphia worship site.
Source: My News13