Officials say arson was cause of fire in Springfield mosque

[Quetzal]

Officials say arson was cause of fire in Springfield mosque

Investigators probing a fire Wednesday night that severely damaged a Springfield mosque have concluded that it was arson, but have not yet been able to determine whether the blaze was a hate crime, a fire official said yesterday.

"They have determined that it was a deliberately set fire," Springfield Fire Department spokesman Lieutenant Neil Hawley said.

The fire, which is also being investigated by federal agents, was set on the second floor of the Al-Baqi Islamic Center about 5 p.m. Wednesday, officials said. No one was hurt, but the 121-year-old former school building suffered severe damage.

Mosque officials reacted cautiously to the report about the arson determination yesterday, saying that the arsonist or arsonists must have come from outside the neighborhood where the mosque has been a fixture for decades.

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Officials say arson was cause of fire in Springfield mosque

[whirlygigspin]

1. damn that Bart Simpson

n/t

[struggle4progress]

2. kick

:kick:

[Quetzal]

3. kick

:kick:

[PsychoDad]

4. Don't yet know if it was a hate crime....

How many other local buildings have been torched lately?

[gottaB]

5. yeah, it struck me they weren't serious about investigating it