Police arrested a 23-year-old man Friday night in connection with fire at a Coachella mosque fire that authorities are investigating as a possible hate crime.
The Press Enterprise reports that Coachella police arrested Carl James Dial in on Country Club Drive in Palm Desert. Dial is being held on suspicion of several felony crimes, including commission of a hate crime, maliciously setting a fire and arson. The Los Angeles Times is also reporting the arrest.
The fire broke out just after noon on Friday at the mosque located on Avenue 49 in Coachella. Cal-Fire was quickly able to put out the blaze and no one was injured- but the entire building sustained smoke damage.
“Someone threw what seems to be a Molotov cocktail-like device and it exploded inside the building around the reception area,” Reymundo Nour, president of the Islamic Society, told City News Service.
This is not the first incident at the mosque. Last year, 5 bullets were shot into the same building. The incident was investigated as a hate crime and a $12,000 reward was offered for information leading to an arrest. The case remains unsolved.
