Police are searching for a man accused of defacing a Brooklyn Heights mosque earlier this month in an incident being investigated as a hate crime, according to the NYPD.
Police sources said a man wearing a black skullcap and a red sweatshirt and sweatpants threw pages from the Quran onto the steps of the Islamic Mission of America at 143 State St. around 4:30 a.m. on Monday, March 9. He then returned and smeared feces on the door before fleeing, sources said.
The NYPD’s Hate Crime Task Force is investigating the incident as aggravated harassment. No one was injured.
According to the Islamic Mission of America’s website, the mosque, also known as the Daoud Mosque, was founded in the 1920s or early 1930s and has served the community for decades. A call to the mosque was not immediately returned.
The NYPD is asking anyone with information to call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-577-TIPS or submit tips online.
