Shots fired at suburban Chicago mosque

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MORTON GROVE, Ill., Aug. 12 (UPI) -- An Illinois man faces felony charges for allegedly firing an air rifle at a mosque near his home in suburban Chicago, police said.

A "high-velocity air rifle" was confiscated from David Conrad's home in Morton Grove, Ill., police said. Conrad is charged with aggravated discharge of a firearm and criminal damage to property. A bond hearing is scheduled for Monday, the Chicago Tribune reported.

The Chicago office of the Council on American-Islamic Relations said air rifle shots were fired Friday night at the outer wall of the Muslim Education Center in Morton Grove. The shots were heard by worshipers who were outside the mosque and were powerful enough to damage the building's brick wall.

CAIR said a neighbor with a history of opposition to the mosque allegedly fired the shots.

"This is obviously an alarming situation that all parties are taking very seriously. The weapon allegedly used in this incident is powerful enough to kill, and the projectiles reportedly came within inches of the head of the security guard on duty," CAIR-Chicago Executive Director Ahmed Rehab said Saturday in a statement.

"We are gravely concerned that we are seeing the rising level of Islamophobic rhetoric in our society translate into violent behavior," Rehab said.