Plymouth Police Help Feds Catch Mosque Arson Suspect

Mosque Arson Suspect Scheduled to Appear in Court Monday

Plymouth police played a role in helping federal law enforcement agents arrest a man accused of setting fires to two Minneapolis mosques, court documents revealed.

Jackie Little, 36, of Plymouth, was scheduled to make his first court appearance Monday on federal arson charges. He was arrested Saturday night in Mankato. U.S. Attorney Andrew Luger announced the charges.

According to federal court documents:

The arson cases happened at mosques in south Minneapolis. In one case, federal prosecutors say Little started a fire at approximately 7 p.m. on April 23 in the bathroom of the Masjid Omar Islamic Center. Prosecutors say just before 7 p.m. on April 24, Little was captured on surveillance video entering the Masjid Al Rhama Mosque, where a fire broke out on the third floor. Everyone in the building was evacuated including 40 children who were in a child care center that rents space in the building.

An affidavit filed in U.S. District Court shows that Plymouth officers recognized Little from surveillance footage as a suspect from a prior arson investigation. Officers from the Plymouth Police Department provided booking photos of Little, whom the affidavit described as having “a known history of arson or suspected arson.”

Surveillance photo/Suspect was observed buying gasoline on April 24, a half-mile from the Masjid Al-Rahma Mosque,

Little is also suspected in the Jan. 5 vandalism of U.S. Rep. Ilhan Omar’s Minneapolis office in which “500” was spray-painted on the front door. A similar marking was spray-painted later that same day on a patrol vehicle belonging to a Somali police officer with the Minneapolis Police Department as well as an entryway to a Somali marketplace. The affidavit said the meaning of the “500” marking is unclear.

Investigators interviewed Little’s mother who revealed that Little “has had a fascination with fire from a young age,” the affidavit showed. Documents also revealed that Little “extensively harassed” a Muslim woman while Little was living in transitional housing.

Court records show Little has battled mental illness with prior orders for civil commitments.

Also See: Charges Filed Against Three Juveniles for Lynde Greenhouse Arson Last Fall

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