Police in Brooklyn are searching for a suspect who allegedly desecrated a mosque earlier this month.
Left photo, Google maps; right photo, NYPD
Police in Brooklyn are searching for a suspect who allegedly desecrated a mosque earlier this month.
According to law enforcement sources, the shocking incident unfolded on Monday, March 9, at around 4:30 a.m. outside the Islamic Mission of America at 143 State St. in Brooklyn Heights. The suspect, police said, approached the mosque and proceeded to throw pages from the Quran, the central religious book of Islam, on the front steps of the building.
He then briefly left the scene, then returned and smeared an “unknown substance” on the location’s door. Police identified the substance as feces, though it remains unclear whether it was human or animal waste.
The incident was reported to the neighborhood’s 84th Precinct and is now being investigated as a hate crime. There were no reported injuries, no arrests and the suspect remains at large.
Police on March 28 released a surveillance photo of the suspect. The image shows the suspect wearing red clothing and holding a tied black bag.
Afaf Nasher, executive director of CAIR-NY, an advocacy group for Muslims in America, sent out a statement following the incident.
“This reported act of attempted desecration is deeply disturbing and reflects a blatant act of hate targeting a house of worship,” Nasher said. “We commend law enforcement authorities for investigating this incident as a hate crime and urge a swift and thorough investigation to hold the perpetrator accountable. No community should have to fear harassment or attack because of their religious beliefs.”
Anyone with information regarding the incident can call Crime Stoppers at 800-577-TIPS (for Spanish, dial 888-57-PISTA). You can also submit tips online at crimestoppers.nypdonline.org, or on X (formerly Twitter) @NYPDTips. All calls and messages are kept confidential.
The number of hate crimes in the precinct jumped from 1 in 2025 to 4 in 2026, year to date, marking a 300% increase. Overall, major crime in the precinct, however, has decreased 9.25% year to date compared to the same period in 2025, according to the latest crime statistics.
Citywide, hate crimes are increasing. As of Feb. 2, the number of bias incidents investigated by the NYPD’s Hate Crimes Task Force this January increased by 152% (58 vs. 23) compared to January 2025. Antisemitic hate crimes accounted for more than half of hate crime incidents reported in January.
