Police Treating Mosque Break-In As Possible Hate Crime

ST. PAUL -- St. Paul police say they have increased patrols around local mosques and Islamic community centers after an early-morning break-in at a mosque caused thousands of dollars in damage.

A department spokesman says police are treating the episode on Saturday as a possible "bias-motivated crime" — as they would any incident targeting a house of worship.

Mosque officials believe the damage will cost $5,000 to $7,000 to repair. The suspect allegedly scrawled some "rambling" messages on a whiteboard in the imam's office at Darul Iman Masjid.