FBI: Dearborn mosque fire suspect was not motivated by politics or religion

Speaking inside a Dearborn mosque, the head of the FBI Detroit office revealed that its investigation so far into a mosque fire and police shooting last week has shown that the suspect was not motivated by politics, ideology or religion.

Acting Special Agent in Charge of Detroit FBI Josh Hauxhurst addressed congregants Saturday at Al-Huda Islamic Association, a Muslim center on Warren Avenue that was set on fire one week ago. Officials have identified the suspect in the fire as Ahmed Taqi, 37, of Dearborn, whom police said died a few blocks away in Detroit after an exchange of fire with Dearborn police.

"Taqi may be the only one who knows exactly why he set the fire here at the mosque," Hauxhurst said to the crowd. "However, based on evidence collected, interviews conducted to date and law enforcement reports and prior contacts with Taqi, there is no indication Taki was either politically or ideologically motivated. And there is no indication at this point that he's acting as part of a group."

The FBI is helping Dearborn police and the Detroit office of Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) investigate the mosque fire that started after 1 a.m. Feb. 12.

"It's important to note, in most cases of political- or ideological-motivated violence, we see perpetrators intentionally telegraphing their motivations in an attempt to promote their beliefs," Hauxhurst added. "We have not seen that."

After the forum, the Free Press asked Hauxhurst whether his reference to political or ideological motivation also includes religious and sectarian motivation. He said it does, meaning, the FBI's investigation into the shooting so far reveals that Taqi was also not motivated by religion or sectarian hatred.

The FBI leader added that "only a week has passed since the incident, and the investigation is ongoing. Anyone with information about Taqi (is asked to) ... contact the Dearborn Police Department or the FBI."

Since the shooting, there has been some discussion in the Arab American community about whether Taqi was motivated by a bias against certain groups.

The mosque is a predominantly Yemeni American Sunni congregation and Taqi is an immigrant from Iraq, said a city official. At the forum, speakers, which included several Muslim leaders, spoke of bridging divides between Shias and Sunnis and between Muslims and other religious groups. A mosque leader stressed that their mosque is open to all sects and faiths.

The city said the forum was organized by Dearborn Mayor Abdullah Hammoud to provide information to the public about the case and to promote unity. It drew a diverse group of faith and political leaders, including U.S. Rep. Rashida Tlaib, D-Detroit, several Dearborn City Council members, Sunni and Shia imams, and a Christian pastor. All of them addressed the crowd.

Hammoud and others gave additional details about what happened on Feb. 12 and the suspect, whom they said had mental health challenges for years. Hammoud said that Taqi was an immigrant from Iraq and had previously served as a translator for U.S. forces stationed there.

"We had our police chief and our fire chief pull any related 911 calls to this individual as far back as we can," Hammoud said to the audience. "Over the last three or four years, there have been several mental health-related calls made specifically to the residence of Taqi. Additionally, we have also worked in coordination with Oakland County and received some dispatch calls that were made in their jurisdiction, also mental health related. So we do know that Ahmed Taqi suffered from mental health-related issues and had many psychiatric related 911 calls within the city of Dearborn and outside of the city of Dearborn."

The forum was also an opportunity for people of different backgrounds to unite, Hammoud said.

"Regardless of one's faith or background ... we stand in solidarity with one another," Hammoud said. "The attack on this masjid was not an attack on just a Sunni congregation, it was one that impacted the entirety of the non-Muslim congregation, because this place of worship — as (mosque board president) Mansoor Mashrah said — is not only for the Shia and the Sunni and all Muslims, it is also open to non-Muslims. I want to make sure we send that message."

It's unclear to which religious sect Taqi belonged. Dearborn and FBI officials said they don't have that information. Most of the Iraqi Americans in Dearborn are Shia.

In previous years, especially during the Iraq war, there was tension between some Iraqi Americans and Yemeni Americans in Dearborn that were heightened after the vandalism of some metro Detroit Iraqi Shia mosques in 2006-07. Police said at the time they didn't know who was behind the attacks.

After the Feb. 12 fire, imams who are both Shia and Sunni have visited the mosque to show their support, including at Saturday's event.

"The goal here was to demonstrate that what happened ... was an isolated incident and that we need not ... fragment," Hammoud said. "We stand wholeheartedly in unity together, Shia, Sunni, Christian, Jewish, Muslim, non-Muslim, all together."

Dearborn Police Chief Issa Shahin gave a timeline of what happened on Feb. 12. He noted that police were at the scene before a 911 call was made.

"At approximately 1:10 am, Dearborn police officers discovered a fire here at Al-Huda mosque prior to a 911 call coming into the dispatch center," Shahin said. "Within three seconds of their arrival, they took gunfire from an individual later identified as Ahmed Taqi. For the next 19 minutes, Dearborn police officers followed Mr. Taqi as he walks southbound on Lonyo Avenue, pleading for him to surrender and drop his firearm. In the area of Lonyo and Henderson (in Detroit), Mr. Taqi turned and leveled the firearm at the police officers who fired his weapon. And these Dearborn police officers returned fire, striking Mr. Taqi."

Shahin praised the response of Dearborn police and fire, adding that the death of Taqi was a tragedy.

"I would also like to extend my sincerest condolences to the family of the deceased," he said. "I believe when something like this happens. It's a failure of society."

The event was kicked off by Mashrah, Al-Huda's board president.

He said that his faith teaches "not to hate one another ... not to have bigotry among one another. ... We are all brothers and sisters in humanity, regardless of our faith, regardless of our background, regardless of our race."

Mashrah said of his mosque: "This is a Muslim house" that doesn't favor a particular sect over another and is open to all religions.

Contact Niraj Warikoo:nwarikoo@freepress.com or Twitter @nwarikoo

This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: FBI Detroit head said mosque fire suspect not motivated by religion