The blaze comes in the wake of the shooting deaths of three Muslims near the University of North Carolina, and authorities are investigating the incident to see if it was motivated by hate.
Authorities have arrested a homeless man in Houston on charges of setting a fire that destroyed a building at an Islamic institute in the city.
The fire destroyed one of the three buildings used by the Quba Islamic Institute, and did not cause any injuries, according to a Reuters report.
Police arrested 55-year-old Darryl Ferguson, who confessed to setting the fire, but said it was an accident, according to the report.
Ferguson allegedly came to the site of the fire on his bicycle on Monday, and when detectives asked him if he had something to say to them, he confessed to the fire.
Authorities haven’t confirmed yet whether the arson was a hate crime against Muslims. It would be the latest attack on Muslims after three people were shot dead near the University of North Carolina, which drew international attention and prompted Muslim activists to urge authorities to treat it as a hate crime.
Despite the blaze, the institute has continued to operate using the other buildings. A hate crime carries greater penalties for those who are convicted, but obtaining a conviction is often difficult: the prosecution has to show that the crime was fully or partly motivated by bias against race, religion, ethnicity, disability, gender or sexual orientation.
The FBI is monitoring the investigation.
The homeless man accused of setting the blaze said it “was an accident,” according to a Chron.com report. It broke out at about 5:30 a.m. on Friday and heavily damaged the 3,000-square-foot metal building used for storage.
Ferguson was identified as a homeless man who lived in the area. He has an extensive criminal record that includes charges ranging from burglary to criminal trespassing and assault, according to the report.
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