Dec. 10, 2020         

Steve Hunegs, executive director of the Jewish Community Relations Council of Minnesota and the Dakotas (JCRC), issued the following statement:

“The JCRC welcomes a federal jury’s conviction of the Illinois man who planned and executed the heinous bombing of the Dar Al-Farooq Islamic Center in Bloomington.

“We applaud United States Attorney Erica McDonald and the prosecuting attorneys and all who participated in the investigation of the vicious attack for the vigorous pursuit of the case.  We commend Judge Donovan Frank and all who participated in conducting the trial during the pandemic, especially the jurors who performed their civic duty under difficult circumstances.  We hope the conviction and subsequent sentencing will bring comfort and security to the Muslim community.

“The JCRC maintains that there should be no legal distinction between homegrown domestic terrorism, which is not currently codified as terrorism, and the charges applied to foreign-based terrorism.”

Photo: Prayers are held outside the Dar Al-Farooq Islamic Center in Bloomington, Minn., on Aug. 5, 2017, the day the mosque was bombed. (Aaron Lavinsky / Star Tribune)

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As the public affairs voice of the Jewish community, the JCRC fights antisemitism and prejudice, advocates for Israel, provides Holocaust education, promotes tolerance and social justice, and builds bridges across the Jewish and broader communities.