Police have arrested and charged a man they believe to be responsible for damage inflicted on a Fairfax County mosque in January.
Trenton M. Carter of Centreville, Va., is suspected of vandalizing the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community Mosque, which had been scheduled to open that month.
Carter has been charged with felony destruction of property. Police say the investigation is ongoing and additional arrests are possible.
The mosque, located at 4555 Ahmadiyya Drive in Chantilly, was vandalized either late Jan. 29 or early Jan. 30. Authorities found extensive damage to the building, including numerous shattered windows.
Fairfax Police spokesman Officer Don Gotthardt said no one seemed to have entered the building during the vandalism. Investigators found empty liquor containers on the scene.
The FBI stepped into the investigation a few days later.
Gaumman told WAMU in early February he wasn't sure whether the act was a hate crime -- but he said the vandal or vandals did as much damage as they could.
"It was just not one silly act," he said. "Somebody took their time in smashing, going around the whole of the building and smashing all the windows."
