San Francisco man arrested after allegedly vandalizing mosque, leaving community ‘living in fear’
A San Francisco man suspected of vandalizing a Nob Hill mosque was arrested Wednesday evening while visiting the scene of his alleged crime for the second time in as many days.
San Francisco resident Robert Gray, 35, was booked on one felony count of vandalism with damage of more than $400 and a misdemeanor violation of civil rights by damaging another property. He currently sits in a county jail.
San Francisco Deputy Public Defender Jack Lamar said his client “has no criminal convictions [and] is charged with a single count of vandalism for breaking a window.†He added, “We ask the public to refrain from speculating further because the hate-crime allegation is unfounded and not supported by the evidence.â€
San Francisco Police officers responded to a call from congregants of Masjid al-Tawheed mosque around 7:55 p.m. on Wednesday. Mosquegoers told police Gray was the man who had vandalized their sanctuary on April 4, having recognized him from security video.
Arriving officers detained Gray after they concluded he matched the description of the suspect wanted in the attack.
“Through the course of their investigation, officers developed probable cause [for] arrest,†Police spokesperson Paulina Henderson said in a statement.
A Muslim advocacy and civil rights organization sent a complaint letter to the San Bruno mayor after Muslim constituents were not allowed to pray and break fast inside San Bruno City Hall.
Henderson said the investigation was still active and police were looking for more information.
Surveillance video obtained by the San Francisco Standard shows a man with a skateboard smashing multiple mosque windows on April 4.
The man returned to the mosque on Tuesday and Wednesday, according to the Standard. During the latter incident, mosque congregants confronted Gray and distracted him long enough to call police, who arrived in time to arrest him.
“Community members were living in fear for the last two weeks,†said Yemeni American Aseel Fara, 24, a Masjid al-Tawheed mosque member and a San Francisco Immigrant Rights Commissioner.
Fara said the incident shocked many community members who came to San Francisco because of its pluralistic society.
He said he received a call from another Bay Area mosque that had suffered similar vandalism and wanted to review surveillance video to see if Gray was involved.
The proposal to name a San Francisco post office after the late Sen. Dianne Feinstein struck some as unbefitting the gravitas of her half-century career in politics.
“You don’t expect this here,†he said. “This has been very divisive and hopefully we can begin to heal thanks to this arrest.â€
Lamar countered that “there’s no indication that this incident had anything to do with ethnic or religious animus. According to the witnesses on scene, no one was hurt and he made no verbal or physical threats.â€
The news of Gray’s arrest was celebrated by the Council on American-Islamic Relations Bay Area chapter.
“We are relieved that an arrest has been made in these distressing incidents,†CAIR Bay Area Executive Director Zahra Billoo said in a statement. “It’s important for our community to see tangible actions being taken to protect our places of worship, where everyone has the right to feel safe and secure.â€
Billoo said the number of complaints of Islamophobia made nationwide is at a 30-year high.
There were 8,061 reports received by CAIR last year. The organization said nearly half of those complaints took place in the last three months since the Oct. 7 Hamas assault on Israel that sparked a war, resulting in the killing of 30,000-plus Palestinians by Israeli forces. That number of complaints represents a 56% increase from 2022 to 2023, according to the organization.
“This arrest sends a clear message that hate-driven behaviors will not be overlooked and serves as a reminder of the ongoing challenges we face in combating Islamophobia,†Billoo said.
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