A man who allegedly threatened a Seattle mosque was arrested Tuesday afternoon following a brief standoff in North Seattle.
A 37-year-old man who allegedly threatened a Seattle mosque was arrested Tuesday afternoon following a brief standoff in North Seattle.
According to police, the man had posted threats against a mosque online and later posted that he had purchased an assault rifle and ammunition.
Police say they were tipped to the threats by an out-of-state friend of the suspect.
Police went to the man’s apartment in the 11700 block of Greenwood Avenue North and after a brief standoff took him into custody around 3:30 p.m. There were no reports of injuries.
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It was not clear whether police had recovered a firearm from the man.
Hisham Farajallah, a spokesman at the Idris Mosque in Northgate, said police told him his mosque was the target. Officers were stationed outside the building Tuesday evening. Muslims around the world are observing Ramadan, a month of intense prayer, dawn-to-dusk fasting and nightly feasts.
“We are prepared. The best we can do is inform people,” Farajallah said, adding that some mosque members have expressed fear and are being told to stay vigilant.
Police said the suspect has previously been contacted by local police who are investigating harassment and threats to another mosque.
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.
It wasn’t immediately known if the man arrested Tuesday is being questioned in that case.