18-year-old arrested after suspicious fire at Eastside mosque

Bellevue police made an arrest after a suspicious fire damaged the Islamic Center of the Eastside, just more than a year after it was targeted in an arson.

The Islamic Center of Eastside, vacant after a 2017 fire, was torched again in a mid-March fire.

Investigators turned to traffic camera footage, and detectives were able to identify suspects. They conducted interviews that included one with an 18-year-old, who is believed to be the person to have started the fire.

>> PHOTOS: Bellevue mosque catches fire nearly year after arson

The 18-year-old was booked into King County Jail for investigation of first-degree arson. At this time, there's no indication the fire was a hate crime or bias-related, police say.

About the 2017 fire

In January 2017, an arson fire badly damaged the center. Isaac Wayne Wilson — a 37-year-old with an extensive history of mental illness —  was sentenced to 14 months in prison.

Prior to that incident, in the thick of the 2016 election campaign, the Bellevue Mosque and neighboring centers saw numerous acts of Vandalism. and neighboring Islamic center have seen numerous acts of vandalism.

About the March fire

Lt Brian Gomez of the Bellevue Fire Department said crews had to break through fencing and boards to deal with the fire.

“The property was boarded up. The premises were secured and there was no work being done,” Gomez said.

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He said there was nobody inside at the time, but that it was completely vacant.

"However, there are some kinds of vagrants or kids frequenting the property," he said.

The fire caused heavy damage, but no one was hurt and it did not spread to any other buildings, according to officials on scene.

Community was shaken by another fire  

For people who attend the Islamic Center, they feared it was a hate crime.

Omer Lone is a board member for the Islamic Center of the Eastside. He said he had a tough time processing that there was another fire at the Mosque site, “while I was at work, I just got the text ‘hey the mosque is on fire once again.’ I could not even believe it.”

Lone said the latest fire sent worry through the entire Muslim community that attends the mosque.

“There is the fear and the tension, what if this was a functional mosque, and we were inside?" Lone said.

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Masood Hassan is a member of the Eastside Islamic Center and says he lives just a few blocks from the Mosque. He came to watch the fire on Wednesday and shared some video of the flames with KIRO 7. When he spoke to us, he was constantly looking back at the Mosque building checking its condition.

“My heart was racing. I was just praying to God the whole time,” Hassan said.

He said the damage also strikes at the heart of the Muslim community. Many members of the Eastside Islamic Center watched and wondered if this fire would be a major setback.

Omer Lone said leaders were trying to start rebuilding; they've been renting space in Bellevue for prayers recently. Lone now wonders if any step can truly keep them safe.

“Once you can take, it but twice it completely breaks you apart you know,” he said.

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