The fire at the Salman Alfarisi Islamic Center in Corvallis was reported at 2:15 a.m., and evidence at the scene led authorities believe it was set intentionally, said Carla Pusateri, a fire prevention officer for the Corvallis Fire Department.
Authorities don't know who started the blaze or exactly why, but they believe the center was targeted because Mohamud occasionally worshipped there.
"We have made it quite clear that the FBI will not tolerate any kind of retribution or attack on the Muslim community," said Arthur Balizan, special agent in charge of the FBI in Oregon.
Mohamud was being held on charges of plotting to carry out a terror attack Friday on a crowd of thousands at Portland's Pioneer Courthouse Square. He is scheduled to appear in court today.
On Friday, he parked what he thought was a bomb-laden van near the ceremony and then went to a nearby train station, where he dialed a cell phone that he believed would detonate the vehicle, federal authorities said. Instead, federal authorities moved in and arrested him. No one was hurt.
There were also no injuries in Sunday's fire, which burned 80 percent of the center's office but did not spread to worship areas or any other rooms, said Yosof Wanly, the center's imam.
After daybreak, members gathered at the center, where a broken window had been boarded up.
"I've prayed for my family and friends, because obviously if someone was deliberate enough to do this, what's to stop them from coming to our homes and our schools?" said Mohamed Alyagouri, a 31-year-old father of two who worships at the center. "I'm afraid for my children getting harassed from their teachers, maybe from their friends."
Wanly said Corvallis, a college town about 75 miles southwest of Portland, has long been accepting of Muslims.
"The common scene here is to be very friendly, accepting various cultures and religions," Wanly said.
In Portland, residents are alarmed by the terror plot, but Mayor Sam Adams said they are "not going to let this change our values of being an open and embracing city." He said that he beefed up patrols around mosques "and other facilities that might be vulnerable to knuckle-headed retribution" after hearing of the bomb plot.
Authorities have not explained how Mohamud, an Oregon State University student until he dropped out on Oct. 6, became so radicalized. Mohamud graduated from high school in the Portland suburb of Beaverton, although few details of his time there were available Saturday.
Wanly described him as a normal student who went to athletic events, drank an occasional beer and was into rap music and culture. He described Mohamud as religious, saying he attended prayers in Corvallis once or twice a month over a year and a half.
Wanly, 24, said that in about 15 conversations he had with Mohamud, the teen rarely discussed religion. He said that may have been because Mohamud knew his extremist views wouldn't be tolerated.
http://www.suntimes.com/news/nation/2928764,CST-NWS-bomb1129.article
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EDITOR'S NOTE: Here's a related article from the New York Times:
After Thwarted Attack, Question Is ‘Why Portland?'
by Beth Slovic
New York Times
November 29, 2010
Portlanders call Pioneer Courthouse Square the city's living room.
But on Sunday, two days after federal law enforcement officials arrested Mohamed Osman Mohamud, 19, and accused him of plotting to bomb the square during a Christmas tree-lighting ceremony, it was more subdued.
Workers were preparing the brick-covered plaza for the 15th annual Holiday Ale Festival that starts on Wednesday. Private security officers patrolled the area. And visitors were still puzzled by the news of the plot.
“Who would want to bomb here?” said Naoki Hirai, a 29-year-old from Japan who is a graduate student at Portland State University. Betty Behrens, a tourist from Seattle, said, “I was astounded.”
In response to the thwarted plot, Mayor Sam Adams has floated the idea of cooperating more fully with federal law enforcement agencies. In 2005, the Portland City Council passed an ordinance that put conditions on the city's continued participation in the F.B.I. Joint Terrorism Task Force out of concern for the civil liberties of residents.
Now Mr. Adams said he was prepared to reconsider his opposition. “It's been five years since our last policy review,” he said.
City officials said they were also concerned about the safety of Portland's Muslim population. The police authorized additional patrols around Muslim community centers, said Sgt. Peter Simpson, a police spokesman.
At a news conference outside City Hall attended by the mayor and Muslim leaders, Kayse Jama, executive director of Portland's Center for Intercultural Organizing, condemned the bombing attempt. “We left Somalia because of war,” Mr. Jama said, “and we would like to live in peace.”
Mr. Mohamud is expected to make his first court appearance on Monday morning. “Eventually there will be due process,” said Amanda Fritz, a city commissioner. “In the meantime, we need to make sure innocent people aren't blamed or victimized.”
Until this weekend, Portland's biggest concern about Pioneer Courthouse Square was the presence of assertive panhandlers and homeless people. The Portland Business Alliance pressed for city rules that would clear sidewalks of perceived nuisances in the shopping district.
In May, after months of public outreach on the thorny topic, city leaders approved what they called a compromise on sidewalk use, restricting sitting within certain zones.
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/11/29/us/29portland.html?ref=us&pagewanted=print |
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