Minneapolis Muslims fear further attacks after alleged hit-and-run in mosque parking lot

Officials at a Minneapolis mosque fear it will be targeted again, two days after one of its members was injured in an alleged hit-and-run attack in the parking lot.

The attack was the latest in a string of incidents — from mosque burnings to Muslims being attacked at their mosques with pepper spray or, in one instance, a hammer — that have made Minnesota the leading state nationwide for mosque attacks, according to the Council on American-Islamic Relations.

"We are on edge," Jaylani Hussein, executive director of CAIR-MN said Friday at a news conference. "This was an attempted murder. ... We need for our leaders to take this seriously."

In Wednesday's assault, a van slammed into Osman Ahmed, a member of the Alhikma mosque at 116 E. 32nd St., in the mosque parking lot just after he stepped out of his vehicle. Security video shows a van steering into Ahmed as he runs, knocking him to the pavement.

Ahmed, who spent a night at HCMC recovering, said he could see two hands holding the steering wheel as the van raced toward him but couldn't see the driver. Witnesses and others led police to James E. Suttles, 37, of Minneapolis, who was arrested Wednesday evening and charged Friday with second-degree assault.

The criminal complaint against Suttles, who was being held at Hennepin County jail in lieu of $150,000 bail, does not include a count classifying what happened as a bias-motivated crime.

Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty acknowledged in a statement that Suttles has committed "prior violent incidents at this mosque. ... If through further investigation we determine that we can prove beyond a reasonable doubt that this incident was motivated by bias, we will prosecute accordingly."

Mosque officials say Suttles has terrorized their community for four years, allegedly pepper-spraying one mosque member in 2021 and attacking another with a hammer in 2022.

The imam of Alhikma, Abdirazak Kaynan, said he's very worried that Suttles will be released from jail and return to the mosque to hurt more people.

"We've reported multiple times and tell police this guy is going to kill someone," said Kaynan.

Suttles was at the mosque again on May 19, just days after being given a tresspass violation, said Kaynan.

The incidents are among at least 21 attacks on Minnesota mosques in the past three years, said Hussein, who said CAIR chapters in each state share their data on mosque attacks. Among the incidents of vandalism reported last year, fires at the Mercy Mosque in Minneapolis and St. Paul's Tawhid Islamic Center caused extensive damage and led to the arrests of two men.

Hussein urged state and federal officials to provide grants for things like security cameras and lights, strengthening of doors or security guards for mosques and other nonprofits targeted by hate crimes. Hussein said efforts to get state funds for such things failed during this year's legislative session.

Mosque officials say they don't know why Suttles targeted them in the first place, but he appeared at the mosque's door shortly after it opened in 2020. He was first offered food and support, mosque leaders say, but Suttles turned increasingly violent and has been cited three times for trespassing.

"These incidents have been against various people who attend the mosque and not targeted at any one individual," the complaint against Suttles read. "The leader stated people attending the mosque were very concerned for their safety and scared of [Suttles]."

Star Tribune staff writer Paul Walsh contributed to this story.