Redmond Police received calls threatening worshippers at a Redmond mosque after a mass shooting in Orlando, Fla., over the weekend. But members of the mosque said they will not be deterred from prayers and celebrations.
Redmond Police received several anonymous calls threatening worshippers — specifically women and children — at a Redmond mosque after the mass shooting that killed 49 people at a nightclub in Orlando, Fla., over the weekend.
The gunman in that attack, Omar Mateen, had pledged allegiance to the Islamic State group, law-enforcement officials said. He was killed by a SWAT team.
Members of the Muslim Association of Puget Sound (MAPS) — the largest mosque in the Puget Sound region — and city of Redmond officials including Mayor John Marchione gathered Monday to condemn the threats and the shooting.
Interfaith solidarity vigil
St. James Cathedral in Seattle is hosting a prayer and procession, open to all, on Wednesday, June 15.
An interfaith service will be held at St. Mark’s Cathedral, 1245 10th Ave. E., at 7:30 p.m. Religious and civic leaders will then join a procession across Broadway to St. James Cathedral for a prayer and candle lighting.
More information:stjames-cathedral.org
“We stand with our fellow Americans in expressing our shock and horror at these attacks,” MAPS president Mahmood Khadeer said. “An attack on the rights of a minority group, including the LGBT community, is an attack on all minority groups.”
The threats came into the Redmond Police Department call center at about 6:30 p.m. Sunday, said department spokeswoman Nancy Range.
After contacting mosque leaders, officers were posted near the mosque as worshippers continued evening Ramadan celebrations. No suspicious activity was seen Sunday night, Range said.
A multiagency investigation of the calls is ongoing, officials said. The FBI is conducting its own assessment of the threat, said regional liaison Brad Deardorff.
Khadeer said the phoned-in threats were the first made against the Redmond mosque.
MAPS has added security and advised the estimated 1,000 Muslims who worship there to watch for suspicious activity.
But members of the mosque will not be deterred from observing prayers and celebrations, Khadeer said.
“I felt during this time that I do not want to be subjugated to a threat and not operate like a free American Muslim,” said Khadeer. “That’s the standard I set for my community, and continue to do so.”