A Texas jury convicted a man Monday of federal arson, explosives charges, and a hate crime for setting a Mosque ablaze to terrorize Muslims.
The 12 person jury in Victoria, Texas, deliberated for three hours before unanimously deciding that Marq Vincent Perez was guilty of setting fire to Victoria Islamic Center in January 2017. Prosecutors asserted that Perez had a “rabid hatred” of Muslims and that he recruited local youths and others on social media with plans to terrorize Muslims along the middle Texas Gulf Coast. (RELATED: Man Who Allegedly Tried To Burn Down Texas Mosque Faces Trial)
Members of the mosque lauded Perez’s conviction and thanked the jury for their decision.
“No group anywhere in the United States of America should be subjected to such hate crimes,” said Omar Rachid, public relations manager for the mosque, according to Caller Times. “I think what the jury has done today, this afternoon, is send a message loud and clear that such behavior and such crimes will not be tolerated.”
Perez and his defense maintained his innocence. Prosecutors presented Facebook messages from Perez that expressed hatred of Muslims and a desire to do violence to them, as well as pictures from his phone of the burning Mosque and the fact that items stolen from the mosque were found at Perez’s residence.
Perez’s defense also argued that his use of an improvised explosive and a shotgun to attack a car at a family home in Victoria prior to the arson attack against the mosque was a separate, unrelated incident. Prosecutors claimed the attack on the car was intended as a training run for further terrorist acts against Muslims.
Though the trial was expected to last for two weeks, presentation of evidence and arguments concluded Friday. Perez faces a possible 20 years imprisonment for the charge of committing a hate crime, 10 years for possessing the improvised explosive device, and a mandatory 10 years in prison for using fire to commit a felony.
U.S. District Judge John D. Rainey will sentence Perez on Oct. 2, which could coincide with the day that the congregation of Victoria Islamic Center opens their new mosque.
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