Authorities are investigating a fire at a North Carolina mosque that's under construction.
Cary town spokesman Stephen McNulty says firefighters were called to the Islamic Center of Cary Friday morning. He says Cary Fire Department investigators haven't determined the cause. No one was injured.Shakil Ahmed, president of the Islamic Association of Cary, says the mosque was expected to be complete in 2019 after years of fundraising and construction. The association is currently housed in a building nearby.
He says the fire looks suspicious to him because it started near a broken window in an area that doesn't have electrical equipment that could cause accidental sparks. He hasn't been inside to see the full extent of the damage, but he says smoke was billowing out before firefighters arrived.
The Council on American-Islamic Relations is calling on state and federal law enforcement authorities to investigate a possible bias motive for a fire at a North Carolina mosque under construction.
Agents of the ATF and FBI are investigating the blaze.