Fireworks AT Mankato Islamic Center
Following a tense Tuesday, more details have emerged about a weekend incident that alarmed Mankato’s Muslim community. Initially seen by some as a potential arson attempt, the situation has resulted in a fireworks citation for a man who claimed he didn’t realize he had caused concern.
Despite this outcome, Abdi Sabrie, co-founder of the Mankato Islamic Center, expressed disappointment in the police response, feeling that community safety wasn’t taken seriously. He plans to bring these concerns to the city council.
The incident occurred Sunday, when a person was seen igniting an object near the center’s exterior fence and then fled on a bike after a mosque member approached.
“With recent national divisions and an election just concluded, it’s hard not to wonder if this was related,” Sabrie shared.
The Mankato Department of Public Safety released a statement on Tuesday, saying surveillance showed an individual on a bicycle near the Islamic Center, lighting what appeared to be “two bottle rockets” that launched harmlessly into the sky.
“There is no indication the Islamic Center was targeted, and there is no ongoing investigation,” read the statement.
Mankato Islamic Center leaders were critical of the police statement, feeling it downplayed the community’s concerns, especially given prior incidents of vandalism and harassment.
Tensions heightened again Tuesday afternoon when the same individual returned to the center’s parking lot. A representative from CAIR-MN, present at the center, called 911 to report the individual’s presence. Later, the Public Safety Department issued a second statement, confirming officers had spoken with the individual, who admitted to setting off the bottle rockets and claimed he hadn’t meant to cause alarm. He was cited for possession and use of illegal fireworks, a misdemeanor.
Despite the citation, Sabrie remained frustrated.
“If this had been a Muslim person setting off fireworks in a church parking lot, it would be national news. We don’t feel valued as citizens, and if roles were reversed, the reaction would be entirely different,” he said.