Islamic leaders call for more security after two charged in St. Cloud mosque break-in

ST. CLOUD - A Twin Cities-area man and woman were charged Friday with breaking into and damaging a St. Cloud mosque early the previous day.

Logan O. Smith, 23, of Rogers and Victoria C. Veliz, 25, of New Hope each face one count of second-degree burglary for entering a religious building without consent and committing a crime, according to charges filed in Stearns County District Court.

In the wake of the St. Cloud mosque vandalism and a break-in Sunday at the Tawfiq Islamic Center in Minneapolis, the executive director of the Minnesota chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations called on state and local leaders to increase security at Minnesota places of worship.

"We are really concerned that individuals in our communities feel OK to target a place of worship," Jaylani Hussein said Friday at a news conference at the St. Cloud mosque.

In the Minneapolis break-in, an intruder caused an estimated $50,000 in damage when they smashed doors and windows, destroyed property and stole donations.

Video surveillance at the Islamic Center of St. Cloud reportedly showed Smith and Veliz entering the building in the 300 block of 5th Avenue S. near the St. Cloud State University campus just after 1 a.m. Thursday.

A religious leader found the damage after opening the mosque for the day's first prayer services. Police responded just after 4 a.m.

The pair also cut into an office ceiling, broke the handle on a foot-washing station and left behind beer cans, cigarette butts and bloody paper towels, according to the documents.

A card left behind with information about a St. Cloud hotel led police to the pair, who were arrested in their room about two hours later. . Police also found in their hotel two Qu'rans and three cassette tapes labeled in what was believed to be Arabic writing, according to court documents.

Veliz told police she and Smith went out to "explore" and found a "scary church and decided to go inside," court documents state.

Mohayadin Mohamed, president of the Islamic Center, said mosque leaders are still assessing the damage. The mosque, which opened in 2007, is one of five operated by the Islamic Center of St. Cloud.

Authorities were investigating the break-in as a bias-motivated crime in coordination with the FBI, St. Cloud Assistant Police Chief Jeff Oxton said.

Hussein said he has asked the FBI to investigate a possible connection between the St. Cloud and Minneapolis break-ins. He said he has also asked Muslim leaders to ensure adequate safety protocols are in place.

The latest break-in, Hussein said, is the fifth such incident targeting a mosque in Minnesota in 2022 — the most in a single year in the state.

He also asked for increased patrols and awareness this weekend, which falls on the 21st anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks carried out by the militant Islamic network al-Qaeda.

"Knowing that we will be marking another anniversary of 9/11, we understand that this tragedy sometimes creates a great deal of confusion at times [and the] inappropriate targeting of innocent Muslims in Minnesota and the country," Hussein said.

He said the break-ins won't deter Muslims from practicing their faith, but he urged the greater community to condemn the incidents.