Federal Charges Handed Down in Mosque Burning Case

Today the three men accused of burning down a mosque in Columbia over the weekend were charged with federal crimes.

U-S Attorney Ed Yarbrough says hate crimes will be taken seriously, but his office hasn’t yet charged these three men with anything more than possession of destructive devices. They used Molotov cocktails to fire-bomb the small mosque after spray painting swastikas on the wall.

Assistant U-S attorney Paul O’Brien says more charges may come.

“There are other laws on the books that relate to burning houses of worship. They’re complicated statutes and we’ll be looking at all different potential charges to see what’s appropriate in this case.”

The three accused men range in age from 19-to-32. At least one told investigators he’s part of a the Christian Identity Movement, a fundamentalist group law enforcement officials know little about.

The three Columbia men were caught on surveillance cameras at a gas station near the mosque making their improvised explosives, leading to their arrest. They’re in state custody now and also face charges of arson.