Man suspected of attacking worshippers outside Morgan Hill mosque faces hate crime charge
A Morgan Hill man was arrested and is facing a hate crime charge after he allegedly attacked worshippers outside a mosque during Ramadan.
According to
Morgan Hill Police
, the incident took place March 7 at the South Valley Islamic Community and Cultural Center.
In a separate statement, the
Bay Area office of the Council on American-Islamic Relations
said the suspect harassed multiple community members after evening prayers and shouted anti-Palestinian and Islamophobic remarks. The suspect also allegedly assaulted an elderly man who was at the mosque with his daughter.
Following an investigation, police said they identified a suspect, gathered witness statements and submitted the case to the Santa Clara County District Attorney's Office for review. The DA's office filed a hate crime charge against the suspect, identified as 59-year-old Mark Allen.
"We are grateful to the District Attorney's Office for treating this incident with the seriousness it deserves," the mosque's board of directors said in a statement. "Our community came together during Ramadan in faith, and we should never have to fear being attacked while doing so. We hope this sends a strong message that hate has no home in Morgan Hill."
Police said an arrest warrant was issued and Allen surrendered to police.
"After working closely with the victims, we know this necessary step helps demonstrate the District Attorney's support for the Muslim community's safety and well-being," said CAIR attorney Bismah Jaffer. "It also sends a clear message that targeting Muslims, Palestinians, or allies will not be tolerated."
Mayor Mark Turner
said in a statement on social media
, "Our Muslim neighbors, like all residents, deserve to feel safe and respected. We are committed to fostering an inclusive environment where diversity is celebrated and everyone can live without fear. Let this serve as a reminder that hate will not go unaddressed in Morgan Hill."
According to court records, Allen is scheduled to be arraigned on May 30.
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USA Today
2 hours ago
- USA Today
Divisions deepen in wealthy, liberal Boulder after antisemitic attack
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After the attack, someone posted "Wanted" signs on the Pearl Street Mall just steps from the scene, naming the majority of city council members as guilty of "complicity in genocide" for refusing to pass a ceasefire resolution and not divesting from businesses that are helping Israel wage its war against Hamas. "Not only has the rhetoric become increasingly centered around violence and division but we have an increasing amount of cowardice, from cowardly administrators, cowardly government officials," said Adam Rovner, who directs the Center for Judaic Studies at the University of Denver. "We're seeing it much more clearly now. And unfortunately Jewish communities are paying the cost." Egyptian national Mohamed Sabry Soliman, 45, faces more than 118 state and federal charges in connection with the attack, including hate-crime accusations. Investigators say he confessed and remains unrepentant, telling them he deliberately targeted the marchers because he considered them a "Zionist Group." Divisions continue after Pearl Street attack Amid the extreme positions on the Israel-Hamas war, Run for their Lives believed most people could get behind their message. The national Run for their Lives organization has sponsored walks or runs in hundreds of cities and towns since Oct. 7, 2023, the day of the deadliest attack on Jews since the Holocaust in which over 1,000 people were killed and 240 were taken hostage. As of June 5, 56 hostages are still being held by Hamas, although that number includes both the living and presumed dead. On June 1, as she had dozens of times in the past, Turnquist was pushing her Australian shepherd Jake in a stroller as the group made its way past the historic Boulder County Courthouse on Pearl Street pedestrian mall. 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The conflict between the marchers and counter-protesters is a microcosm of the vicious disputes that have long been on display in Boulder, where Palestinian students disrupted classes earlier this year. Turnquist, the protest marcher, said knowing the group lacked the full support of local elected officials made it harder to feel comfortable during those Sunday protests. She said she went into a Boulder shop at the start of the Gaza war while wearing a necklace with a Jewish symbol on it. The shopkeeper suggested she hide it, so she didn't become a target, she said. "One of the things I remember saying was ... the masks are going to come off and we're going to see who the antisemites are. We're going to see them for who they are. And sure enough it started happening all over," Turnquist said. "It was people that I didn't even think would be antisemites ‒ it was some friends." 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It is the result of increasingly normalized hate, dehumanizing rhetoric, and silence in the face of rising antisemitism. But we will not be deterred," Rachel Amaru, the founder of Boulder Run For Their Lives said at a June 4 rally for the victims. "We invite everyone to join us, not just with your feet, but with open hearts and minds. Choose humanity over hate, curiosity over judgment, and learning over condemnation." The day after the attack, Turnquist returned to the scene of the attack to lay flowers and display a small Israeli flag on behalf of her injured friends. Still shaken by the attack just 24 hours earlier, she visibly shook as she recounted her efforts to help the victims. "I woke up this morning and didn't want to get out of bed. I didn't want to get out of bed and didn't want to talk to my friends who were calling me. But this is when we have to get up and stand up, and we have to push back," Turnquist said. 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