New York: Islamic Center, Hindu Temple Attacked
(CNN) — Video released Monday shows a person throwing a Molotov cocktail toward a residence in New York City that also serves as a Hindu temple in one of three such attacks reported by police in the city.
The other two targets on Sunday night were an Islamic center and a bodega, all of them in the Queens borough of the city, authorities said Monday.
In a fourth incident, a fire damaged part of a house, but it was too early to tell whether it was a result of a Molotov cocktail and whether it was related to the other incidents, the New York Police Department said.
No one was injured in any of the incidents, according to officials.
Two video clips that were released Monday afternoon depict the scene around the residence that also functions as a Hindu temple. One shows a car slowing down, while another shows a person hurling a single, flaming object over a fence and toward the building. A fire can then be seen in the residence’s front yard.
An official at the mosque that was targeted, the Imam Al-Khoei Islamic Center, described how about 75 community members were heading out of the center when some spotted a fire and a light near the front door. They then found “two Molotov bombs” — broken bottles containing flammable liquid.
“Thank God, nobody was injured and we’re OK,” said Maan Al-Sahlani, minister of religion at the center, which is located along the Van Wyck Expressway. “It’s not major damage — maybe because of the rain, maybe because our people tried to put down the fire.”