Man who vandalized Moorhead mosque sentenced to community service

The Minnesota chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations called on the FBI to investigate any potential link between Benjamin Enderle and hate groups.

July 31, 2021 at 11:38PM
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Benjamin Enderle (Clay County jail/The Minnesota Star Tribune)

A 22-year-old man from Moorhead, Minn., was sentenced to community service Friday for vandalizing a Moorhead mosque in April.

Benjamin Stewart Enderle pleaded guilty in early July to felony second-degree property damage and gross-misdemeanor bias harassment for spray-painting racist graffiti and vulgarities, including a swastika and "Death to Islam," on the Moorhead Fargo Islamic Community Center.

A potential prison sentence was stayed, and Enderle was given credit for time served in the Clay County jail, which means he need serve no more time, according to sentencing documents. He will be on probation, must pay a small fine and perform 40 hours of service work for an unspecified "community minority group."

According to media reports, Enderle expressed remorse for his actions in court and was told by the mosque's president that its members have forgiven him

Also Friday, the Minnesota chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-MN) called on the FBI to investigate any potential link between Enderle and hate groups.

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