Indiana man indicted in federal court for mosque fire

10/18/2012

A federal grand jury has indicted an Indiana man on hate crime charges after he allegedly set fire to the Islamic Center of Greater Toledo.

Federal authorities announced today that Randolph Linn, 52, of St. Joe, Ind., is charged with one count each of intentionally defacing, damaging, and destroying religious real property because of the religious character of that property and using fire to commit a felony.

Mr. Linn is accused of driving to the Perrysburg Township mosque on Sept. 30, breaking into the center, and using gasoline to start a fire in the second-floor prayer room, investigators have said.

On Oct. 2, a woman was able to identify the suspect from surveillance images taken at the mosque; Mr. Linn was subsequently arrested at work in Fort Wayne.

The woman also told investigators that the suspect had made anti-Muslim statements and, when he was arrested, he reportedly said to an officer, "[expletive] those Muslims."

Mr. Linn is scheduled to be arraigned today in U.S. District Court in Toledo.