Minn. man set fires at mosques, harassed member of Congress, feds say

Minnesota man Jackie Rahm Little charged with arson at two mosques - The Washington Post

In roughly 24 hours in late April, fires broke out at two mosques in Minneapolis. Melted gasoline cans were recovered at the sites of both blazes, federal investigators said.

The next night, smoke began to billow from the third floor of the Masjid al-Rahma mosque a few blocks south of the Somali Mall. Flames engulfed a hallway in the mosque and originated from a pile of debris and another can of gasoline, according to the affidavit. Mosque staffers rushed to evacuate the building, including about 40 children from its first-floor day care.

On Sunday, the U.S. attorney’s office in Minnesota announced that Jackie Rahm Little had been arrested and charged with arson. Little, 36, of Plymouth, Minn., who also goes by the name Joel Arthur Tueting, is additionally accused of sending harassing messages to and vandalizing the office of a member of Congress earlier this year, court records state.

Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) said Monday that the vandalism occurred at her Minneapolis office.

“We are witnessing an epidemic of hate against the Muslim community and other religious minorities in Minnesota and globally right now,” Omar said in a statement. “… As Muslim-Americans and as Minnesotans, we will not be terrorized. We will continue to stand united against bigotry because love is stronger than hate.”

An attorney representing Little did not immediately respond to a request for comment Monday evening. Little remains in custody.

The investigation appears to have begun when the member of Congress, who is not named in court records, reported in December receiving an email with a photo of a Quran being urinated on in a toilet, according to an affidavit.

The next month, Little was seen on surveillance footage attempting to shoplift spray paint from a Target in Minneapolis, the affidavit alleges. That same day, Little entered the lawmaker’s office building and spray-painted the number “500” on the office door, according to federal investigators. Later that day, he allegedly painted the same number on the vehicle of a Somali police officer elsewhere in the city and at an entryway at the Somali Mall.

The meaning of the number is unclear, investigators said.

The member of Congress later received additional emails from the same email address with a racial slur and a photo of the door that Little graffitied, the affidavit states.

Little has not been charged separately for the acts of vandalism, according to court records.

About three months later, surveillance footage showed Little entering the Masjid Omar Islamic Center on April 23, according to federal investigators. Inside, an employee discovered Little lighting the fire in the bathroom stall, the affidavit states.

Little was also seen on surveillance footage the next day walking toward the Masjid al-Rahma mosque while carrying a brown paper bag, court documents state. Video shows him entering the mosque around eight minutes before staffers discovered the third-floor fire, according to the affidavit.

About 10 minutes after the fire started at the Masjid al-Rahma mosque, Little was seen purchasing a red gasoline can similar to those found at the two fires and filling it with gas, according to the affidavit. Investigators did not say in the affidavit whether Little planned to start another fire.

When interviewed by investigators, Little’s mother confirmed that her son owned the clothing the man was wearing in surveillance footage, the affidavit stated.

Staffers at the Masjid al-Rahma mosque told investigators the attack caused tens of thousands of dollars in damage, according to the affidavit.

Hundreds returned to the Masjid Omar Islamic Center last week for the first Friday prayer since the fire there, the Star Tribune reported. Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey attended and condemned the attacks.

“Attacks on our Muslim community will not be tolerated in our city,” Frey said, according to the Star Tribune.

Little appeared in Minneapolis District Court on Monday and is scheduled for a preliminary hearing on Thursday.