Minnesota

Hate Crime Statistics Case Examples News

DOJ Offices

2023 Hate Crime Statistics for Minnesota*

Bias Motivation Categories by Year

Bias Motivation Category	2021	2022	2023
Race/Ethnicity/Ancestry	175	109	104
Religion	44	27	45
Sexual Orientation	44	36	45
Disability	2	1	3
Gender	2	3	2
Gender Identity	7	9	10
Total:	274	185	209

Types of Crime

Crimes Against Persons	139	62.1%
Crimes Against Property	83	37.1%
Crimes Against Society	2	0.9%

Bias Motivation Categories

Race/Ethnicity/Ancestry	104	49.8%
Religion	45	21.5%
Sexual Orientation	45	21.5%
Disability	3	1.4%
Gender	2	1.0%
Gender Identity	10	4.8%

*2021 was the first year that the annual hate crimes statistics were reported entirely through the National Incident-Based Reporting System (NIBRS). As a result of the shift to NIBRS-only data collection, law enforcement agency participation in submitting all crime statistics, including hate crimes, fell significantly from 2020 to 2021.

Case Examples

A grand jury charged a Minnesota man for setting fire to a mosque.

According to the charges, on April 23, 2023, the defendant started a fire in the bathroom of the Masjid Omar Islamic Center. The next day, surveillance video captured the defendant returning to the mosque. Soon after his arrival, a much larger fire broke out on the third floor of the mosque causing significant damage and forcing dozens of people to evacuate.

These are serious allegations. But the defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty.

Press Release: https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/minnesota-man-indicted-mosque-arson

A federal judge sentenced two men to prison for their roles in the 2017 bombing of the Dar al-Farooq Islamic Center in Bloomington, Minnesota. Two other defendants have pled guilty to their roles in the bombing.

During the summer of 2017, the defendants joined a terrorist militia group called “The White Rabbits” in Clarence, Illinois. On August 4th and 5th, the group drove a rented truck from Illinois to Minnesota to bomb the Dar al-Farooq Islamic Center. The defendants selected the Dar al-Farooq Islamic Center to terrorize Muslims into believing they are not welcome in the United States and should leave the country. On August 5, the group bombed the Islamic Center. At the time of the bombing, several worshipers were gathered in the mosque for morning prayers.

On November 7, 2017, the group also attempted to set fire to the Women’s Health Practice in Champaign, Illinois. They used a sledgehammer to break a window and placed a device in the building to start a fire. The device did not ignite and was found by a Women’s Health Practice employee.

The two men face between 14 and 16 years in prison for their crimes.

Press Release: https://www.justice.gov/usao-mn/pr/federal-jury-convicts-illinois-man-bombing-dar-al-farooq-islamic-center

Press Release: https://www.justice.gov/usao-mn/pr/two-illinois-men-sentenced-prison-their-roles-bombing-dar-al-farooq-islamic-center