Man Arrested After Overnight Fire at Washington State Mosque

BELLEVUE (AP) — A 37-year-old man is in custody after a suspicious fire severely damaged a Washington state mosque overnight.

The fire was reported at about 2:45 a.m. Saturday at the Islamic Center of the Eastside in Bellevue. Authorities say that as firefighters doused the flames, police found a 37-year-old man near the building and arrested him for investigation of arson. Police spokesman Seth Tyler says investigators believe the man is the sole suspect. His name was not immediately released.

The mosque was unoccupied at the time and no injuries were reported.

There have been repeated incidents of threats and vandalism at the Bellevue mosque and others in recent months. A man was charged this week with a hate crime for threatening people there on Jan. 6, and a granite sign outside the Muslim Association of Puget Sound in neighboring Redmond was damaged twice.