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Man pleads not guilty to arson, hate crime at California mosque

By REUTERS

DECEMBER 17, 2015 08:05

A 23-year-old man suspected of setting a fire at a Southern California mosque in a hate attack following the massacre of 14 people by a Muslim couple pleaded not guilty on Wednesday, officials said.

Carl James Dial pleaded not guilty to charges of arson, burglary and committing a hate crime in connection with Friday's fire in the entrance of Islamic Society of the Coachella Valley, the Riverside County District Attorney's Office said.

Authorities said the fire caused no injuries. But it charred the building's stucco front entrance, leaving it with chunks of plaster torn out and littered with debris.

The local Desert Sun newspaper reported on Wednesday that Dial's parents are seeking a lawyer to take the case, which they said was complex, pro bono.

The blaze heightened concerns about an anti-Islamic backlash in the wake of the Dec. 2 massacre of 14 people by US-born Syed Rizwan Farook, 28, and his Pakistani-born wife, Tashfeen Malik, 29, at a holiday party in San Bernardino, about 75 miles (121 km) northwest of Coachella.

The FBI has said it is treating the shooting as an act of terrorism, citing the couple's declaration that they were acting on behalf of the Islamic State militant group.

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