A man faces arson charges connected to a fire at a Philadelphia mosque that occurred earlier this month.
Vincent Lang, 60, of Philadelphia, was arrested and charged “with one count of maliciously damaging or destroying by means of fire any building or property used in interstate commerce, or attempting to do so, in connection with an arson fire,” the Department of Justice (DOJ) said in a press release on July 16.
According to the criminal complaint, the defendant approached the Northeast Philadelphia Islamic Center on the 1400 block of Tyson Avenue in the early hours of July 5, lit an improvised incendiary device, and threw it into the mosque’s entryway, causing a fire inside the building.
Lang could face up to 20 years in prison, with a minimum of five years if convicted.
FOX 29 Philadelphia reported on July 7 that officers and Philadelphia Fire Department personnel responded and extinguished the fire in the building’s enclosed front porch area.
Police said the Islamic center was unoccupied at the time, and no injuries were reported.
Philadelphia Fire Marshals classified the fire as arson.
The Philadelphia chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, or CAIR-Philadelphia, offered a $2,500 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of anyone involved.
“Our mosque is more than a place of worship. It is a welcoming community center that has served families, neighbors, and people of all backgrounds for many years,” Masukul Islam Khan, president of Northeast Philadelphia Islamic Center, said in a July 6 statement.
“Any act of violence or hatred directed at a house of worship is an attack on the values of safety, religious freedom, and unity that our city cherishes.”
Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro wrote in a July 7 post on X: “Violence of any kind targeted at our Muslim neighbors has no place in this country. It goes against the foundational values of our Commonwealth and one of our nation’s most fundamental freedoms — the freedom to worship as you wish.”
The case is being investigated by several agencies, including the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives Arson and Explosives Task Force, the FBI, the Philadelphia Fire Department Fire Marshal’s Office Special Investigations Unit, the Philadelphia Police Department, and the Pennsylvania Office of the Attorney General. It is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Amanda R. Reinitz and J. Jeanette Kang.
