Titusville Police detectives have made an arrest in connection with the New Year’s Day vandalism of The Islamic Society of Central Florida Masjid Al-Munin Mosque.
Michael Scott Wolfe, 35, of Titusville, was arrested Monday evening in Titusville, and charged with criminal mischief to a mosque, a third degree felony.
The evidence revealed Wolfe entered the mosque carport at 11 p.m. and destroyed property with a machete and placed raw bacon in and around the front door.
Wolfe was transported to the Brevard County Jail. He is being held on a $2,000 bail. He is expected to appear before a judge Tuesday.
Prior to the arrest, the leader of the mosque said the act was not typical of city area Muslims call home.
“You can’t help but feel this is a hateful act. All of the negative media, the politicians who want to ban Muslims, close mosques…messages like that motivate people who have an illness in their heart,” said Muhammad Musri, who is based in the Orlando area and who oversees a network of 10 mosques as part of the Islamic Society of Central Brevard.
Musri, who in public comments has called on Muslims to build stronger ties with the communities they live in, was at the Masjid Al-Munin mosque in Titusville overseeing the cleanup from vandalism that happened overnight Friday.
“We’ve been in this community for so many years. This is a great community and this act is not typical of the good people or the city,” he said. “So I am hopeful. Over 40 years that we’ve been here, we’ve never seen anything like this. But this city, they have been our neighbors. We don’t even know if the person who did this is from here.”
Titusville police were trying to determine who broke into the mosque, ripping down lights, smashing windows and leaving behind the pork product. Pork – including bacon and ham – is prohibited in Islam, a faith followed by 1.6 billion people worldwide.
Civil rights advocates are calling on state and federal authorities to investigate.
