Man convicted of hate crime for burning Texas mosque

A man accused of torching a South Texas mosque last year has been convicted of a hate crime charge along with charges of federal arson and possessing unregistered explosives. A jury in Victoria, Texas, deliberated about three hours before convicting 26-year-old Marq Vincent Perez.

A man accused of torching a South Texas mosque last year has been convicted of a hate crime charge along with charges of federal arson and possessing unregistered explosives. A jury in Victoria, Texas, deliberated about three hours before convicting 26-year-old Marq Vincent Perez.

Prosecutor Sharad Khandelwal said during the trial that a “rabid hatred” of Muslims led Perez to set fire last year to the Victoria Islamic Center, destroying the building. Another prosecutor asserted that Perez aimed to terrorize Muslims along the middle Texas Gulf Coast and to cause damage and destruction.

“Hate crimes are not only an attack on a specific victim, they threaten the cornerstone of diversity that America was built upon,” FBI Special Agent in Charge Perrye K. Turner said in a Justice Department news release. “Perpetrators of hate crimes, like Perez, aim to chip away at our nation’s foundations by instilling fear into entire communities with violence.”

Perez, who denied involvement in the blaze, could be sentenced to up to 40 years in prison.