Police: Officers fatally shoot man after Dearborn mosque arson

Dearborn police said officers fatally shot an armed man in Detroit on Saturday morning after he had fired at them at the scene of a suspicious fire at a Dearborn mosque.

According to Dearborn Mayor Abdullah Hammoud, the man responsible for the fire is the same man who shot at officers and was then killed.

The man "may have been experiencing a mental health crisis at the time," Hammoud said in a statement. He added that "we do NOT believe there are any imminent threats or dangers to any other houses of worship."

Hammoud said the man fired at police as officers tried to persuade him to put down his gun.

Hammoud was at the mosque at about 2:30 a.m. speaking with Dearborn firefighters, said a city official.

Police said that early Saturday morning, Dearborn police officers on patrol spotted a fire at Al-Huda Islamic Association, which sits on Warren Avenue in the northeastern section of Dearborn, near the border with Detroit.

According to a statement from Dearborn police, the officers then "encountered an armed individual at the scene" of the fire. Police said he "appeared to have shot at the officers."

Dearborn police chased the man southbound on Lonyo Avenue, ordering him to drop his firearm. Police said he opened fire on the Dearborn officers.

"The suspect fired at the officers as officers instructed him to drop the firearm," Dearborn police said. "The officers returned fire, fatally striking him."

It's unclear who the suspect is or his motivation. Dearborn, Detroit, and Wayne County officials did not release any information about him.

A person who answered the phone at the Wayne County Medical Examiner's Office did not answer questions about the identity of the suspect who was killed.

A spokeswoman for Wayne County, Tiffani Jackson, did not have information about the suspect.

After police issued a statement at about 6:30 a.m., Hammoud later said in a statement posted about 11:45 a.m. on Facebook that "Dearborn Police officers on patrol observed the fire before anyone called 911. As they surveyed the scene, the individual shot at the officers."

Hammoud added: "Despite knowing that the individual was armed, and not knowing what other dangers might emerge, the officers cautiously pursued the individual and attempted repeatedly to get him to relinquish the firearm. The individual fired at the officers again, which prompted return fire that fatally struck him."

The fatal shooting of the man took place in Detroit and no officers were injured, police said.

"This was a tragic incident for our faith community and the Dearborn community overall that unfortunately led to a loss of life," Dearborn Police Chief Issa Shahin said. "I commend our officers for responding with the utmost professionalism and courage to protect the community from imminent danger.”

Because the fatal shooting took place in Detroit, the investigation into the incident will be handled by Detroit police and Michigan State Police, according to the city of Dearborn.

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AI-Huda Islamic Association, also known as Masjid AI-Huda, was founded in 1998 at another location. As the congregation grew, the mosque constructed on Warren Avenue a new "20,000 square ft. complex with separate male and female worship areas, a gym for recreation and additional capacity, and a multipurpose room to handle community events," according to the mosque website.

The new building opened in October 2020. An official at the mosque could not be reached on Saturday.

"This was a tragic situation that resulted in loss of life," Hammoud said. "May God protect our officers who endured extraordinary trauma and put themselves in harm’s way to protect the community from imminent harm. May God have mercy on the soul of the deceased, and grant patience to his family and loved ones. And may God grant peace and strength to the Al-Huda mosque community. We stand with you as we overcome this tragedy, and hope to emerge stronger."

Over the years, some mosques have been vandalized in metro Detroit, including one in Warren in 2020. Some other mosques in Detroit and Dearborn were defaced or vandalized in previous years.

Hammoud visited Al-Huda on Saturday afternoon, spoke with some members of the congregation, and prayed with them, said a city spokesman.

According to TCD Dearborn News posts on Facebook, other Dearborn and county officials visiting the mosque included Dearborn Council members Kamal Alsawafy and Mustapha Hammoud, Wayne County Commissioner Sam Baydoun and Alabas Farhat, a former Wayne County official running for state representative.

Leaders condemned the fire at the mosque.

U.S. Rep. Debbie Dingell, D-Dearborn, said on Twitter: "Places of worship should be safe havens. Thinking of the Muslim community in Dearborn after last night’s arson attack & working closely with authorities to protect the Al-Huda Islamic Center."

ADL Michigan, the local chapter of the Jewish civil rights group, Anti-Defamation League, wrote on Twitter: "We stand in solidarity with the Muslim community. Attacks against houses of worship are not acceptable."

Abed Ayoub, a Dearborn native who's the national legal and policy director of the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee, commended "the quick and rapid response by" Dearborn police.

"We trust that all law enforcement agencies who are involved will conduct a thorough investigation to determine the cause and motivation behind the attack," Ayoub said.

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

This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Dearborn police shoot dead man after suspected mosque arson