OSCEOLA COUNTY, FL - The Osceola County Sheriffs Office announced on Sunday that a man has been arrested for allegedly making threatening calls to a mosque in Central Florida.
Threatening calls were made to the American Muslim Leadership Center located on W. Irlo Bronson Memorial Highway on Wednesday, the Osceola County Sheriffs Office said. The threats were said to have been made on the phone and the suspect, identified as Jaran Ali Rasanjani Tyrell, expressed his hatred and disdain for the Muslim community and certain individuals in that community. He specifically left at least two profanity-laced messages, talking about a man who he believed "shot up Orlando" and asked "you that Muslim, right? You that terrorist, right?" before going into a tirade.
The American Muslim Leadership Council Center called out the Osceola County Sheriffs Office for not taking the threats seriously enough, stating that the sheriff "failed the American Muslim community once again". They also called on the FBI and other federal law enforcement for action to ensure their safety.
Since then, the Osceola County Sheriffs Office announced that they increased patrols and began routine checks of all the mosques in the county. They later announced that they were able to arrest Tyrell for Aggravated Stalking/Evidencing Prejudice While Committing Offense on Saturday.
Possible hate crime directed at Osceola County mosque
Osceola County sheriffs deputies are investigating a possible hate crime. They are looking for a person who called a mosque leaving horrific messages.
"The Osceola County Sheriffs Office is committed to the safety and wellbeing of all of our residents. We take every threat to members of our community very serious and are dedicated to investigating and bringing persons to justice who threaten anyone," they said.
They also asked that anyone with any information regarding a similar incident, contact the contact the Osceola County Sheriffs Office at (407) 348-2222 or Crimeline at 1-800-423-8477.
This story was written in Orlando, Florida.
