Jackie Little Faces Federal Hate Crime Charge In 2 Mosque Fires

MINNEAPOLIS — Jackie Rahm Little, the Plymouth man charged with arson in fires set at two Minneapolis mosques, now also faces one count of damage to religious property, a hate crime.

The federal hate crime was added to the case against Little on Thursday.

"The freedom to worship is sacrosanct," said U.S. Attorney Andrew Luger. "We will respond to any attack on any house of worship with urgency and determination."

Little, 36, was apprehended Saturday night in Mankato by the Blue Earth County Sheriff’s Office and taken into federal custody.

Following the April Mosque fires, Little was also identified as the suspect who vandalized the Minneapolis district office of U.S. Rep. Ilhan Omar and a Somali shopping center in January, authorities said.

Little's mom said he's been fascinated with fire from a young age, and she suspects his involvement in other unsolved arson incidents, according to investigators.

"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," Omar said in a statement Sunday.

"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. As Muslim-Americans and as Minnesotans, we will not be terrorized. We will continue to stand united against bigotry because love is stronger than hate."

On Jan. 5 at 11:30 a.m., Little was seen trying to shoplift spray paint from the downtown Minneapolis Target, authorities said. About 30 minutes later, he went to Omar’s nearby district office and spray painted "500" on the front door and photographed it, according to investigators.

Later that day, Little spray-painted "500" on the side of a patrol vehicle assigned to a Somali Minneapolis Police Department officer and in the entryway at the Somali shopping center, authorities said.

The significance of "500" is unclear to investigators.

On April 23 at about 7 p.m., Little entered a second-floor bathroom of the Masjid Omar Islamic Center — located above the Somali shopping center — and lit a cardboard box on fire inside a stall, according to investigators. An employee found him doing this and chased Little out of the building, authorities said.

Little left behind burnt cardboard and a partially melted gas canister, according to prosecutors.

On April 24 just before 7 p.m., Little was captured on surveillance video entering the Mercy Islamic Center, authorities said. The center uses the first floor of the building as a private daycare.

Soon after Little entered the building, a fire broke out in the third-floor hallway, and the building was evacuated, according to investigators. About 40 children had to evacuate during the blaze, authorities said.

About 10 minutes after the arson at the Mercy Islamic Center, Little was spotted on surveillance video purchasing a small red gas canister and filling it with gasoline, according to prosecutors.

Little's case was the result of an investigation conducted by the FBI, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Minneapolis Police Department, the Hennepin County Sheriff’s Office, the Blue Earth County Sheriff’s Office, and the St. Paul Police Department.

The Justice Department’s Civil Rights and National Security Divisions and the Hennepin County Attorney’s Office provided assistance.