Arson Suspected After Fire Breaks Out at Omar Mateen’s Mosque

“At this time, there is no indication whether or not it is arson or an accidental fire that is yet to be determined”, Major David Thompson with the St. Lucie County Sheriff’s Department said at a news conference.

Authorities received a 9-1-1 call about the fire around 12:30am and firefighters extinguished the flames upon arrival.

Mateen, who killed 49 people at the Orlando nightclub in June, had attended the mosque.

The blaze at the facility on Midway Road – where Orlando Pulse nightclub mass shooter Omar Mateen used to worship – started at 12:40 a.m. Monday and the cause is under investigation, officials said.

Maj Thompson says it is too early to tell if the fire was an accident or was intentionally set.

The fire comes one day after the 15th anniversary of the 9/11 terror attacks.

No injuries were reported and the extent of the damage had not been determined.

Ruiz said the imam at the Islamic Center is in Mecca in Saudi Arabia as part of the hajj, or the pilgrimage that all Muslims are supposed to take at least once in their lives to the sacred city of Islam. Currently, fire district investigators and the State Fire Marshall’s Office.

“The Sheriff’s Office is actively investigating this as an arson”, the sheriff’s office said on its Facebook page. Sheriff’s officials said they will be releasing the video and asking for the public’s help in identifying the person who set the fire. Mateen was later killed in a shootout with police.

There is video of the suspected arsonist entering the building according to WPTV. David Thompson says given the circumstances – the 15th anniversary of the September 11 attacks and the beginning of the Muslim holiday Eid al-Adha – officials believe the intentionally-set fire could be a hate crime.

Mateen’s father is among the roughly 100 members that attend the mosque. Eid al-Adha is a worldwide Muslim tradition celebrated by giving charity to the poor and it is considered the most holy Muslim holiday. Early on July 2, deputies were called by a man who said someone was trying to break into a vehicle.

The attacker was stopped by deputies and arrested a short time later.