Fire that destroyed Victoria mosque ruled arson
VICTORIA, TX (KTRK) -- The Houston field division of the Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives is offering a $30,000 reward for information that leads to the arrest of the person responsible for the fire that destroyed the Victoria Islamic Center Mosque.
The Victoria Fire Department responded to a fire at the mosque located at 201 E. Airline Road in Victoria on Jan. 28 around 2:11am.
ORIGINAL STORY: Victoria mosque destroyed in early-morning blaze; cause unknown
The fire fully engulfed the building causing an estimated $500,000 in damage.
Investigators believe that the fire was intentionally set but evidence does not indicate the fire was a biased crime.
"ATF nationwide has investigated hundreds of house of worship fires. There's all kinds of motivations for why those happens but certainly not always hate crimes," said Milanowski.
"Houses of worship are a sacred place in this country, and ATF is committed to devoting the necessary resources to solving this crime," said Fred Milanowski, the special agent in charge of the ATF Houston Field Division. "We are working closely with our local law enforcement and emergency service partners on this investigation and ask that anyone with information about this incident please report it."
Anyone with any information about this crime, should contact ATF at 1-888-ATF-FIRE (1-888-283-3474) or Crime Stoppers at 361-572-4200.
All individuals providing tips can remain anonymous. You can also download the ATF's app to report a crime. Go to www.reportit.com to download the app.
