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NYC: Mayor, Governor Condemn Mosque, Temple, Bodega Firebombing


Molotov cocktails made from Starbucks glass bottles were hurled at three sites in Queens late Sunday, including a mosque with 100 people inside, a Hindu temple and a bodega.

Police were also investigating whether a nearby fire that caused major damage to a private home was part of the frightening pattern. There were no injuries in any of the incidents.

One attack damaged the front door of the Al-Khoei Benevolent Foundation on the Van Wyck Expressway in Jamaica, Queens at 8:45pm.

“We were having a gathering tonight, spending some time with members of the mosque after a service, and someone alerted us that there was a fire outside,” said Maan Alsahlani, the mosque’s minister of religion.

“There wasn’t too loud of an explosion, but it seemed that there were two or three small bombs thrown at the door. It’s frightening, but we have cameras everywhere. We have to worry a little bit, but we have the police here and they will find out who did this,” he added.

Police recovered the Molotov cocktail, which contained an unknown accelerant.

About 45 minutes earlier, an explosive was thrown inside a bodega on Hillside Avenue and 180th Street, damaging the counter. It too was constructed using a Starbucks bottle.

At 10:45pm, two bottles were tossed at a private home, which also serves as a Hindu Temple, on 170th Street near 89th Avenue, cops said. They fizzled out before igniting.

In the incident that is not clearly linked to the Molotov cocktails, a home on 107th Avenue caught fire at 8:10pm and was badly damaged.

Investigators deemed the blaze suspicious, but did not immediately find an accelerant.

Police were looking into whether the fires were hate crimes.

“No matter what motivation was of the individual who threw Molotov cocktails in Queens last night, his actions stand in stark contrast to the New York City of today that we’ve built together,” Mayor Michael Bloomberg said in a statement Monday.

Governor Andrew Cuomo also condemned the attacks, saying in a statement that they “go against everything we stand for as New Yorkers and Americans.”

He said he instructed Superintendent of State Police Joe D’Amico and Deputy Secretary for Public Safety Liz Glazer to provide any assistance that is needed as police investigate to “make sure those who perpetrated these attacks are brought to justice.”

Molotov cocktails made from Starbucks glass bottles were hurled at three sites in Queens last night, including a mosque with 100 people inside, a Hindu Temple and a bodega.

Cops were investigating whether a nearby fire that caused major damage to a private home was also part of the frightening pattern.

(Source: Newsmax)



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