Tennessee mosque site fire ruled arson

MURFREESBORO, Tenn., Sept. 3 (UPI) -- Federal investigators said Friday they had concluded the burning of construction equipment at the site of a planned mosque in Tennessee was arson.

Officials said they had not determined whether the Aug. 28 fire is a hate crime but they said an accelerant was used to burn excavating equipment at the site where the Islamic Center of Murfreesboro intends to build a mosque, The (Nashville) Tennessean reported.

Investigators said they would not be able to determine whether the arson constitutes a hate crime until there is a suspect. The U.S. government is offering a $20,000 reward for information leading to an arrest and prosecution in the case.

Police who responded to calls about the fire around 2 a.m. Saturday said they found diesel fuel spilled on the ground beneath the construction equipment and saw someone watching the fire from a car. They said the person drove away when a police officer approached the car, The Tennessean reported.

A main opponent of the planned mosque, Laurie Cardoza-Moore, said she received death threats after an appearance on Comedy Central's "The Daily Show with Jon Stewart," during which she spoke against the project.

Cardoza-Moore said her problem with the mosque has to do with safety issues, not religion.

"All we are asking is to do a background check on the people involved in the mosque," she said.