A St. Petersburg mosque received a threatening voicemail just hours after the attacks in Paris.
“We are tired of your (expletive) and I (expletive) personally have a militia that is going to come down to your Islamic Society of Pinellas County and firebomb you and shoot whoever is there in the head. I don’t care if they are (expletive) two-years-old or 100. I am over your (expletive) (expletive) and our whole country is,” the voicemail said.
"When I first heard the voicemail I was in shock,” Hatem Jaber, a volunteer at the Islamic Society of St. Petersburg, said. “I was like let me listen to this one more time."
Jaber said the call came into the mosque just before seven Friday night. He was the first to hear the message early Saturday morning.
“Unfortunately the word terrorist has been tied to Muslim or Middle Eastern or people of maybe a darker color. And this is unfair because what this gentleman did calling our establishment and leaving this message, this is a terrorist act because what you’re doing, “ Jaber said. “You’re putting fear into the hearts of people. Now we have to look over our shoulder, is there going to be somebody waiting for us in the morning?”
Jaber said there can be more than 150 people at the mosque for prayer Friday evenings.
St. Petersburg police have increased patrols in the area around 6th Street South as a precaution. The mosque cancelled Sunday Islamic school for children.
The caller even left his name on the message, saying, “Come find me, please. Please report me. Because I would love, love it. You’re going to (expletive) die.”
The FBI said it is aware of the voicemail and investigating.