Minnesota's Muslim community was on edge Friday.
Shocked by the mass killings of 49 people at prayer in New Zealand mosques Thursday, community leaders urged law enforcement to step up security measures at the state's mosques and cautioned fellow Muslims to be vigilant while going about their lives as usual.
Police provided extra security outside Dar Al-Farooq Islamic Center in Bloomington, while Jewish supporters held signs in solidarity, hoping to bolster the anxious worshipers filing inside.
"We are hurting," said Imam Asad Zaman, addressing the packed room at Dar Al-Farooq. "Today is the time for us to hang on to our Muslim identity and be proud of it; today is not the day to run away."
From St. Paul and Minneapolis to Columbia Heights, local police departments boosted patrols Friday at places of worship in response to the deadly attack. Imams held emergency meetings in the metro to discuss security measures.
In St. Paul, a bill at the Legislature that proposes extending a grant program to provide security support and upgrades at houses of worship in Minnesota already had bipartisan support before the shooting.
And in Bloomington, state Attorney General Keith Ellison, who is the first Muslim to hold that office, arrived at Dar Al-Farooq to show his support. He said his office also plans to create a task force to explore how policymakers and law enforcement can better crack down on the rising reports of Islamophobia and white supremacy.
Worshipers entering Dar Al-Farooq, which was bombed in August 2017, thanked Deputy Chief Mike Hartley for the Bloomington Police squad cars on site.