OWENSBORO, Ky. – A mosque in western Kentucky has been vandalized, but officials don't think it was a hate crime.
The Council on American-Islamic Relations said in a statement on Sunday that it was calling on law enforcement to investigate red markings at the Islamic Center of Owensboro as a possible hate crime. The statement said officials at the mosque believe the vandalism was motivated by bias.
CAIR spokesman Ibrahim Hooper noted an increase in anti-mosque incidents across the nation.
Daviess County Sheriff's Department Sgt. Scott Wedding said deputies were called to the mosque on Friday afternoon to investigate markings that turned out to be smeared ketchup.
He said officials are not treating it as a possible hate crime because the vandals left no words or symbols to indicate hate as a motivation.
The hottest stories ripped from the headlines, from crime to courts, legal and scandal.
