MINNEAPOLIS — A man accused of setting fire to a mosque in St. Paul last week now faces an additional set of charges for allegedly breaking into a restaurant a few weeks before the fire.
Said Murekezi was arrested and charged in connection with a attack on the Tawhid Islamic Center of Minnesota. Charging documents say he broke into the mosque on May 16 and stayed there overnight while looking for things to burn.
The next morning, surveillance video shows him near the building as smoke is visible, according to the documents.
Murekezi was arrested last week and, during his interview, admitted to robbing a business in downtown St. Paul.
According to the indictments, police arrived at the Lost Fox restaurant in the early morning hours of April 28 to find a window broken, as well as the glass in the front door. The owner said the repair would cost a total of $5,000. Liquor bottles had also been broken behind the counter and change had also been stolen from cash register drawers, according to the documents.
The glass of the restaurant next door, the Urban Wok, had also been shattered, the documents said. Video footage allegedly shows Murekezi wearing the same outfit during the mosque robbery and fire.
Murekezi had been held in the Hennepin County Jail from April 28 to May 15. He is currently in custody in Ramsey County.
In addition to the second-degree arson and second-degree burglary charges he faces in connection with the mosque fire, he now also faces third-degree burglary charges.
WCCO staff
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