The spate of masjid break-ins continued last week as the Islamic Center of Maryland in Gaithersburg became the latest masjid to suffer from an unsuccessful burglary attempt. ICM's surveillance footage captured the thief's face and he looks similar to the person who stole money from Maryum Center in Howard County, but no arrest has been made in either case. The Muslim Link reported on the uptick of masjid break-ins here. Read ICM's community announcement below.
Assalamu Alaikum Dear Community Members,
On the night of March 7, 2019, right after midnight, a single individual gained entry into the Masjid facility and tried to break into one of our safes in the main lobby using a metal cutting device. Alhamdulillah, due to the heavy gauge steel he was unable to break into the safes. While the safes are emptied out regularly by our finance team, the fact that someone entered into the masjid and tried to break into the safes remains concerning. Note that a similar incident occurred at Islamic Community Center of Laurel (ICCL) recently.
We have filed a report with the authorities and have provided them with the video feeds and are working closely with them to nail the culprit. The video captures the face of the intruder in the footage as well, which is shared above. If you have seen this person or know anything about him, please call Detective Sergeant Thomas Tippett at 240-773-5770, Case #190011200.
Over the next several days, ICM administration will be reviewing the Center’s security and surveillance aspects to determine vulnerabilities and how to address them to deter intruders from gaining access to the buildings.
May Allah Subhanahu wa ta'aala protect our masaajid and houses of worship from such incidents.
Sincerely,
Adileh Sharieff
Trustee in charge Communications
Vice Chair ICM BOT
bot@icomd.org
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