Man accused of setting fires at Minnesota mosques, harassing Rep. Omar

Minnesota authorities have arrested and charged a man accused of setting fires at two mosques in Minneapolis and vandalizing the office of Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.), prosecutors announced.

Jackie Rahm Little, also known as Joel Arthur Tueting, was arrested over the weekend by the Blue Earth County Sheriff’s Office and charged in a federal criminal complaint with arson, according to a release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Minnesota.

Little is accused of starting a fire in the bathroom of the Masjid Omar Islamic Center on April 23, and of starting a second fire at the Masjid Al Rahma Mosque the following day, according to court documents.

An affidavit also alleged Little entered and vandalized a U.S. representative’s office in Minnesota, though the name of the lawmaker was redacted. On Monday, Omar released a statement confirming her office was the one.

“Mr. Little is not only responsible for multiple arson attacks against mosques in my district and the vandalism of a Somali officer’s police vehicle, but also targeted my own office with vandalism on at least one occasion,” said Omar, a Muslim Somali-American. 

“We are witnessing an epidemic of hate against the Muslim community and other religious minorities in Minnesota and globally right now. This campaign of terror is designed to keep us fearful and divided,” she added.

Little spray-painted the number “500” on the lawmaker’s office door, investigators allege in the affidavit, and he made that same mark on a Somali police officer’s police vehicle and at the entryway of a marketplace referred to as a “Somali Mall,” which is in the same building as the Masjid Omar Islamic Center.

Investigators say the meaning of the “500” text isn’t yet clear.

Little made his first court appearance on Monday, The Washington Post first reported.