Muslim man charged with starting fire at mosque he attended

NBC News:
The suspect in a "suspicious" fire at a Houston mosque is an adherent who attended services there, officials said Wednesday.

Gary Nathaniel Moore, 37, of Houston, was arrested Wednesday morning for the Christmas Day blaze, a spokeswoman for the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives told NBC News.

Moore told investigators he had attended the mosque for five years, coming five times a day to pray, reported The Houston Chronicle. MJ Khan, president of the Islamic Society of Greater Houston, confirmed at a press conference Wednesday afternoon that Moore did attend prayer services there, but added, "I wouldn't call him a regular."

The fire at the mosque in the city's southwest started around 2:45 p.m. CT, about an hour after services ended. No one was injured, but the mosque sustained significant damage.

Moore told investigators he had prayed at the mosque earlier on Christmas Day, and said he was the last one to leave, but saw no signs of fire, according to The Houston Chronicle. He added that he returned after hearing about the fire from a friend.
...

Moore was arrested after the ATF, the Houston Police Department and the Houston Fire Department's Arson Bureau reviewed surveillance footage, collected evidence and conducted interviews. He was charged with arson and appeared in court at 7.am. Wednesday.
...
CAIR had asked for an investigation of the fire as a hate crime.  The story does not suggest a motive for setting the fire.

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