Vandalized Ronkonkoma mosque to add security as reward offered to find the culprits, officials said

A Ronkonkoma mosque whose crescent-shaped sign was damaged by an "ignited device" set off over the holiday weekend will be installing new security, an official said Thursday.

Masjid Fatima Al-Zahra Mosque will raise its annual budget by $250,000 to fund cameras and four 24/7 security guards on site, said Hassan Mossolem, chairman of the mosque's board of trustees.

Meanwhile, a cash reward is being offered for information that leads to an arrest in the vandalism, officials announced Thursday.

The incident is being investigated as a possible hate crime, Suffolk police have said.

The device was placed near or thrown at the mosque's sign, located on Lake Shore Road, around midnight on Monday. The mosque was not damaged and no one was injured, police said.

Gov. Kathy Hochul, Suffolk County Executive Steve Bellone and Suffolk County Police Commissioner Rodney Harrison stressed their support at a private meeting with mosque officials inside the place of worship on Thursday. The governor said an unintentional consequence of the attack was that many people had come forward to stand with the mosque, whose presence had become more visible to neighbors.

“The bottom line is, this community is now united stronger than ever before,” she said. “They brought this community together, put a spotlight on the great work that's being done here in this mosque.”

Harrison said investigators were still working, but have determined the culprit or culprits were with a large group at nearby Lt. Michael P. Murphy Memorial Park when they peeled off and caused the explosion. Investigators have recovered the device, which he described as an aerosol can filled with lighter fluid, and are looking for fingerprints on the evidence.

A surveillance video obtained by Newsday appears to show two individuals approaching the sign.  Suffolk County District Attorney Ray Tierney has said his office is working with the county police department as well as the FBI to try to track down those responsible. 

“We take hate crimes very seriously, and when something like that happens, it's important for us to come together as a community and send the message that this will not be tolerated,” Bellone said.

Anwar Khedr, one of the mosque’s founders, said he told officials that those who commit hate crimes against Muslims likely do not know that Islam is a peaceful religion and shares much of its history with Judaism and Christianity.

“People who hate us, they don't know us,” he said. “The difference is knowledge.”

Because of the added security costs, the mosque will likely put plans to build a $3 million senior center on hold and seek donations to cover the new expense, trustee Mossolem said.

“This is a not-for-profit organization," Mossolem said. “I'm going to reach out to every single good heart in the community and elsewhere.”

 The mosque opened about three years ago. The building is a former Veterans of Foreign Wars post. The crescent was installed in the spring and cost about $10,000, mosque officials have said. 

Anyone who was near the mosque, including at the park, between 10 p.m. Sunday and midnight, can submit an anonymous tip by calling 800-220-TIPS, using a mobile app that can be downloaded through the App Store or Google Play by searching P3 Tips, or by visiting www.P3Tips.com.  All calls, text messages and emails will be kept confidential.