University of Minnesota Police may have a lead on the person who vandalized a sign promoting the Muslim Student Association at the school.
U police identify person of interest in anti-Muslim graffiti case
November 5, 2016 at 3:39AM
Sometime overnight, the word "ISIS" was spray-painted on the organization's sign on the Washington Avenue bridge, which connects the East and West Banks of the campus. The acronym is a reference to the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant.
A surveillance photo snapped at 3:45 a.m. Thursday shows a person wearing a hooded sweatshirt and a backpack walking on the bridge. Police want to talk to that person.
"We have no idea if the person is a student, and we have no information on age or gender," said Lt. Troy Buhta.
The graffiti was discovered early Thursday and documented on social media, prompting the Minnesota chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) to call for a hate crime investigation. Jaylani Hussein, CAIR's executive director, said the vandalism is among a number of recent actions targeting Minnesota Muslims.
Administrators and university police met with students regarding another issue on Wednesday, involving posters attacking members of the group Students for Justice in Palestine.
U President Eric Kaler's office issued a statement calling the graffiti an abhorrent action "that will not be tolerated on our campus."
Al-Madinah Cultural Center held a gathering Friday in Coffman Union for those affected. Both incidents come just two weeks after members of the Muslim Students Association held a forum to combat Islamophobia.
Meanwhile, anybody with information about the graffiti incident can call police at 612-624-2677 or send an e-mail to police@umn.edu.
Tim Harlow • 612-673-7768
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