Minneapolis Muslims fear further attacks after suspected hit-and-run in mosque parking lot

A Minneapolis mosque fears it could be targeted again two days after one of its members was injured in an alleged hit-and-run attack in the mosque parking lot.

The attack was the latest in a series of incidents – from mosque burnings to attacks on Muslims in their mosques with pepper spray or, in one case, a hammer – that have made Minnesota the nation's leading state for mosque attacks with 21 in the last three years. years, according to the Council on American-Islamic Relations.

“We are running out of steam,” Jaylani Hussein, executive director of CAIR-MN, said at a news conference Friday. “This is attempted murder. … We need our leaders to take this seriously.”

During Wednesday's assault, a van struck Osman Ahmed, a member of the Alhikma Mosque at 116 E. 32nd St., in the mosque's parking lot just after he got out of his vehicle; security video shows a van hitting Ahmed as he runs, knocking him to the sidewalk.

Ahmed, who spent a night in HCMC recovering, said he could see two hands holding the steering wheel as the van raced toward him, but he could not see the driver. Witnesses and others led police to James E. Suttles, 37, of Minneapolis, who was arrested Wednesday evening and is being held at the Hennepin County Jail on $150,000 bail.

Suttles was charged Friday with second-degree assault. The criminal complaint against Suttles does not include a charge classifying what happened as a bias-motivated crime.

Hennepin County Prosecutor Mary Moriarty acknowledged in a statement that Suttles had committed “previous violent incidents at this mosque.” … If, through further investigation, we determine that we can prove beyond a reasonable doubt that this incident was motivated by bias, we will prosecute accordingly. “.

Mosque officials say Suttles has terrorized their community for four years, allegedly pepper-spraying a mosque member in 2021 and attacking another with a hammer in 2022.

Alhikma Imam Abdirazak Kaynan said he was very worried that Suttles would be released from prison and return to the mosque to harm more people. “We reported it several times and told the police that this man was going to kill someone,” Kaynan said.

Suttles was at the mosque again on May 19, just days after he was the victim of an entry code violation, Kaynan said.

The incidents are among 21 attacks on Minnesota mosques in the past three years, said Hussein, who said CAIR chapters in each state share their data on mosque attacks. Among incidents of vandalism last year, fires at the Mercy Mosque in Minneapolis and the Tawhid Islamic Center in St. Paul caused significant damage and led to the arrests of two men.

Hussein urged state and federal officials to provide grants for things like security cameras and lighting, strengthening gates or hiring security guards for mosques and other nonprofits targeted by crimes of hatred. Hussein said efforts to get public funds for such things failed in the last legislative session.

Mosque officials say they don't know why Suttles targeted them in the first place, but he appeared at the mosque's door shortly after it opened in 2020. He was first offered food and support, mosque leaders say, but Suttles became increasingly violent and had three trespassing orders filed against him.

“These incidents targeted various individuals who attended the mosque and did not target any specific individual,” the complaint against Suttles states. “The leader said people who attended the mosque were very worried about their safety and were afraid of (Suttles).”

Star Tribune Staff Writer Paul Walsh contributed to this story.