Rutgers University: Suspect arrested and charged with vandalizing Islamic center and stealing Palestinian flag

CNN
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A suspect has been charged with a federal hate crime after allegedly breaking into and destroying property at Rutgers University’s Center for Islamic Life.

The incident took place during Eid al-Fitr, the three-day Islamic religious celebration that marks the end of the holy month of Ramadan.

Jacob Beacher, 24, was arrested Monday morning and charged with one count of intentional or attempted obstruction of religious practice and one count of making false statements to federal authorities, according to a news release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of New Jersey.

Beacher is not affiliated with Rutgers University, according to a university spokesperson.

CNN has reached out to his attorney for comment.

Beacher broke into the Islamic center around 2:41 a.m. on April 10, the release said, where he damaged property “including several religious artifacts, such as Turbah prayer stones, which are clay stones upon which Muslims kneel during prayers, and numerous other items. which contained sacred language from the Quran, the sacred scripture of Islam.”

He also allegedly stole a Palestinian flag and a charity box from the center, the release said.

The current damage estimate is about $40,000, court documents show.

Beacher was captured on a video surveillance camera near downtown, according to court documents. A donation box from the center was later found in a park about a half mile away and “lawfully collected historical cellphone data” showed Beacher’s phone was in the same park shortly after the burglary, the complaint said.

Beacher will make his first court appearance Monday afternoon, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said.

Atiya Aftab, chairman of the Islamic Center, said in a press release on Monday: “We express a sense of relief and security knowing that the suspect is in custody.”

“This act of terror will not intimidate or break our community. We are determined and determined to redouble our efforts toward our center’s mission. This incident did not happen in a vacuum,” Aftab said.

In a statement, Rutgers University said the school “condemns this act of violence against the Rutgers-New Brunswick Muslim community and the desecration of a religious and community space.”

“Such acts of hatred and bigotry against anyone in our community have no place at Rutgers,” the school said. “We abhor all forms of intolerance based on religion, national origin, race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, ability or political views.”

The intrusion came after months of escalating tension following the October 7 Hamas attack on Israel, which killed 1,200 people, and the resulting Israeli attacks on Gaza, which killed more than 34,000 people.

In the US, tensions have manifested in attacks on Muslims and Arab Americans. In 2023, the Council on American-Islamic Relations received 8,061 complaints of anti-Muslim bias, CNN previously reported, marking a 56% increase from the previous year.

According to local police, a 6-year-old Palestinian-American boy was stabbed to death in Chicago in October by his family’s landlord because he was Muslim. And in November, three Palestinian students were shot while walking in Vermont, leaving one of them paralyzed.