Christians Under Attack

Tamsir Mendy, 26, a native of Gambia, has been charged with first-degree arson and is being held without bail at the Cobb County detention center, said Scott Tucker, Marietta assistant fire chief.

Federal authorities have placed an "ICE detainer" on Mendy -- meaning he will be handed over to Immigration and Customs Enforcement for possible deportation after his case is adjudicated, said Cobb sheriff's department spokeswoman Nancy Bodiford.

While Mendy sat in jail Thursday, his wife’s cousin, Momodou Njie, was proclaiming his innocence.

“[Mendy] is not a criminal. It makes no sense for a Muslim to set fire to a mosque where he goes to pray everyday,” Njie told the AJC. “I think the authorities are looking for a quick answer and there he was. I still think this was a hate crime.”

Njie also insisted that Mendy was in the country legally.

“He has been staying with me for the past two weeks and I have known him for six or seven years, he is not that kind of guy,” Njie said. “I would like to see the evidence against him.”

Firefighters got the call about 11:30 p.m. Monday that the Masjid Al-Hedaya (Islamic Center of Marietta) was on fire. When they arrived at 968 Powder Springs St., flames were coming from the front and back of the converted house. Firefighters saved the structure, but damage is estimated at $100,000, Tucker said.

Mendy emerged as a suspect during an investigation by the Marietta Fire Department  and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives officials, Tucker said.  He was taken into custody at about 5:30 p.m. Wednesday at the Marietta Fire Department headquarters. There are currently no other suspects, Tucker said.

Officials said accelerants were used in the fire, but they would not elaborate on any of the evidence found during the investigation, or on any possible motives.

Investigators have ruled out the possibility that the arson was a hate crime.

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The mosque's leader, Imam Hafiz Inayatullah, said members had ended a prayer service at the mosque at about 10:25 Monday night. After locking the doors, a member noticed Mendy sitting a short ways off, Inayatullah said.

Inayatullah has known Mendy for just two weeks. He was not a regular member of the mosque, praying there only a few times a week, the imam said.

During the time Mendy had been at the mosque, Inayatullah had only asked him his name.

“It’s obviously quite disturbing to hear that a member of the Muslim community is accused of this crime,” said Ibrahim Hooper, spokesman for the Council on American-Islamic Relations.

Earlier this week, the council — noting other acts of violence against Muslims nationwide — had asked the FBI to investigate the fire.

“You never know these things going in. You have to use the information you have at the time. We want to see justice done no matter who committed the crime,” Hooper said.

In addition to questioning members of the mosque, investigators were also questioning members of an adjacent mosque nearby. A land disagreement almost three years ago divided the members into two factions.

http://www.ajc.com