Missouri court sentences man to 16 years in prison for targeting Islamic center

ISTANBUL (AA) – A court in the U.S. state of Missouri has sentenced a man to 16 years in prison for setting fire to an Islamic center.

According to the Department of Justice, the convicted man, John Proffitt, had attempted to set fire to the Cape Girardeau Islamic Center on the first day of Ramadan in 2020.

The fire caused significant damage to the front entrance and second floor of the facility.

The 44-year-old Proffitt was sentenced also to three years of supervised release and ordered to pay $551,000 in restitution.

The prosecutor said Proffitt had attacked Islamic facilities three times in Missouri and elsewhere.

The Justice Department said Proffitt vandalized a religious building, but could not void the constitutional right to religious freedom.

“Attacks on mosques in our country are attacks on people of faith that undermine the fundamental right to practice one’s religion free from fear or violence,” said an attorney from agency’s Civil Rights division.

“This is the third time Nicholas Proffitt has attacked Islamic institutions, in Missouri and elsewhere,” said an attorney from the state.

“He has now been sentenced to a significant prison term that will protect the community from further persecution for a long time,” added another attorney.

“Proffitt destroyed a religious building, but he couldn’t take away the constitutional right to religious freedom,” said an FBI agent, according to a statement from the Justice Department.

Proffitt, had previously admitted guilt Dec. 12, 2022, to using fire to cause harm to religious property and for employing fire during the commission of a federal felony.