DOJ says man charged over Philadelphia mosque fire

By Kanishka Singh

WASHINGTON, ‌July 16 (Reuters) - The ​U.S. ​Department of Justice said on Thursday a man was charged with arson in relation ‌to a fire last week at a mosque ⁠in Philadelphia.

Here are the details:

• Vincent Lang, 60, of Philadelphia ‌was arrested and charged "with one ‌count of maliciously damaging or destroying by means of fire any building or property used in interstate ​commerce, or attempting to do so, in connection with an arson fire last week at a ⁠city mosque," the DOJ said in a statement.

• The criminal complaint alleges ​that on July 5, Lang approached the Northeast Philadelphia Islamic Center, lit an improvised incendiary ​device, and threw it into ‌the entryway of the mosque, triggering a fire inside the building.

• If convicted, Lang ⁠faces a maximum possible sentence of 20 years in prison, with a mandatory minimum of five years' imprisonment, the DOJ ⁠said.

• An NBC News affiliate reported no one was injured ​in the incident that the DOJ said took place in the "early hours" of July 5.

• A representative of Lang could not ‌be reached for comment.

• U.S. rights advocates have noted rising Islamophobia in the decades ‌following the September 11, 2001 attacks, and more recently ⁠because of anti-immigration policies, ‌white supremacy and ​the fallout from Israel's war in Gaza.

(Reporting by Kanishka Singh in Washington; Editing by Kate ‌Mayberry)

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