An arsonist convicted of burning down a mosque in the United States last year has been sentenced to more than 24 years in prison for a crime prosecutors said was motivated by hate.
Marq Perez, 26, was convicted of hate crime and felony arson in July for setting fire to the Victoria Islamic Center in Texas on January 28, 2017.
One person, who was with Perez on the night of the fire, said he was excited and “jumping up and down like a little kid” while watching the mosque burn, the New York Times reported.
Prosecutors said Perez broke into the mosque a week before the fire, the man later placed papers inside the building and set them on fire with a lighter, a witness said, according to prosecutors.
“Everyone in this country has the right to worship freely without fear of violence,” said Acting Assistant Attorney General John Gore.
“This defendant terrorised the Muslim community in Victoria, and the Department partnered with federal, state, and local agencies to ensure that the person responsible for this heinous hate crime would be found and prosecuted,” he added.
When Perez learned the Victoria Muslim community had raised money to rebuild the mosque, he told a witness he would burn the mosque down again if it was rebuilt, the Department of Justice said.
Source: Aljazeera