Masked suspect targets US mosque in arson attack as FBI launches probe

• An unidentified masked individual set fire to the entrance of the Gadsden Islamic Society mosque in Alabama on Nov.11. 
• Community members extinguished the flames before they spread inside the building. 
• Federal agents are working with Gadsden police to identify the perpetrator. No suspect or motive has been announced. 

The FBI is investigating an arson attack on a mosque in Gadsden, Alabama, after an unidentified individual set fire to its entrance, prompting a Muslim civil rights organization to offer a $10,000 reward for information leading to the suspect’s arrest and conviction.

The incident took place overnight on Wednesday, Nov. 11, at the Gadsden Islamic Society, where an incendiary device was thrown at the building’s entrance. Surveillance footage released by the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) appears to show a masked individual wearing gray clothing and a hoodie approaching the mosque before throwing an object that triggered a fire.

The flames were extinguished by members of the local Muslim community before they could spread inside the building. No injuries were reported, although the incident caused damage to the entrance area.

According to Yousef Al Abbasi, a co-founder of the Gadsden Islamic Society, the imam’s wife spotted the fire from across the street and rushed to the mosque with her husband and child to help extinguish it.

“This is our community center. This is where we worship,” Al Abbasi said, describing the incident as horrible.

The FBI's Birmingham Field Office confirmed that it is working with Gadsden police and other federal partners to identify those responsible. Authorities are reviewing surveillance footage and other evidence and have appealed to the public for information about the incident or suspicious activity around the mosque.

No suspect has been publicly identified, and investigators have not established a motive or confirmed whether the incident constitutes a hate crime.

CAIR's Alabama chapter announced a $10,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the person responsible. The organization also urged law enforcement to examine whether the mosque was targeted because of its religious affiliation.

In a statement, CAIR National Deputy Director Edward Ahmed Mitchell condemned the attack and called for an urgent investigation, saying that an arson attack on a place of worship used by a minority community evoked some of the darkest periods in Alabama's history.

Mitchell also called on Alabama's political leaders, including Governor-elect Tommy Tuberville, to publicly condemn the incident and address anti-Muslim rhetoric. CAIR has previously accused Tuberville of contributing to hostility toward Muslims through his political statements, although no evidence has been presented linking his remarks to the attack. His office was asked to comment.

The Gadsden Islamic Society similarly called for swift action to identify the perpetrator, describing the incident as an attack on both Alabama's Muslim community and the constitutional right to religious freedom.

Gadsden Mayor Craig Ford also condemned the attack, saying the city would use its available resources to establish what happened.

“We do not condone violence of any kind in our city,” Ford said, adding that residents should feel safe and respected regardless of their background or faith.

Rising concerns over anti-Muslim incidents

The attack comes amid growing concerns over hostility and incidents targeting Muslim communities and Islamic institutions across the United States.

CAIR reported documenting 17 incidents involving Islamic places of worship during May, June and July 2026, compared with six during the same period in 2025. The organization described this as a 183% increase, with the incidents already accounting for 51% of the previous year's total.

Its latest civil rights report also recorded 8,683 complaints involving anti-Muslim bias in 2025, the highest annual figure since the organization began publishing such reports in 1996.

Other recent incidents cited by CAIR include anti-Muslim vandalism targeting the South Sacramento Islamic Center in California and the reported placement of a severed pig's head outside a mosque in Fort Wayne, Indiana.

The FBI has urged anyone with information about the Gadsden incident, the individual involved or suspicious activity near the mosque to contact investigators through its online tip portal. The investigation remains ongoing.

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