Man Arrested in Vandalism of Minnesota Mosque
Benjamin Enderle was booked into the Clay County Jail after being taken into custody in Moorhead on Tuesday night.
Investigators are recommending felony charges of harassment and criminal damage to property in connection with the vandalism at the mosque, which serves Muslims in Moorhead and neighboring Fargo, N.D., according to police spokesman Capt. Deric Swenson.
The recommended charges are enhanced due to “hate-related acts,” he said, according to twincities.com.
Reports have been forwarded to the Clay County attorney’s office, where the final charges will be determined and then filed.
Swenson said police aren’t looking for any other suspects.
Swenson said an employee of a local retail store helped “turn the tables” in the investigation by providing important details that led them to Enderle.
Swenson said the woman worked in loss prevention at the store, which he didn’t want to name yet. Through her own investigating, she matched up the jacket shown in a video of the suspect from the night of the vandalism with spray paint purchases, and provided the tip to police.
It was a fairly quick arrest in the case as officers were called to the mosque Sunday morning, where they found phrases such as “Death to Islam” along with racial slurs and a swastika spray-painted on the building. The vandalism likely occurred late Saturday night or early Sunday.
