Murfreesboro Mosque Vandalism: 2 Indicted In Bacon, Graffiti Defacement

NASHVILLE, TN — Federal prosecutors announced indictments Friday against two men suspected of vandalizing a Murfreesboro mosque by in July by wrapping the door handles in bacon and spray-painting obscene messages about Allah on a wall and near a playground

Charles Dwight Stout III, 19, and Thomas Avery Gibbs, 18, both of Murfreesboro, face charges of defacing religious property, destroying evidence and conspiracy, the U.S. Attorney's office said.

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On the morning of July 10, members of the Islamic Center of Murfreesboro arrived at the mosque to find bacon — pork is prohibited to Muslims — wrapped around the door handles and messages such as "F--- Allah!" spray painted on the exterior walls of the mosque and on a playground.

The grand jury heard testimony that Stout and Gibbs admitted their involvement to acquaintances and then deleted photos of the vandalism from cell phones, hid or destroyed the clothing and shoes they were allegedly wearing and threw away the package of bacon, which they had allegedly purchased earlier July 10 at a Murfreesboro Kroger.

At least one of the masks the pair allegedly used to cover their faces during the vandalism is believed to be a mask issued to Nazi soldiers during World War II. FBI agents also allege that the men had anti-Islamic material and photos of Nazi soldiers and Adolf Hitler on their phones.

Stout was previously indicted on an evidence tampering charge and pleaded not guilty. The indictment handed down this week supersedes that indictment.

Watch footage of the vandalism:

The Islamic Center has been under attack nearly from the moment it chose to relocate to the Veals Road property on the edge of Murfreesboro. After unanimous approval by the Rutherford County Planning Commission in 2010, opponents — which included Lou Ann Zelenik, at the time running for the Republican nomination to the United States Congress — argued that the ICM wasn't a religious institution, saying that it was a political group that had connections with terrorist who wanted to impose Sharia law, and arguing that Islam wasn't a religion — then-Lt. Gov. Ron Ramsey, who was running for governor at the time, questioned whether Islam was more akin to a cult.

When judges, elected officials, including Murfreesboro's Republican mayor Ernest Burgess, and the United States Department of Justice refuted those claims, opponents filed a number of convoluted lawsuits, arguing that proper public notice was not given and that the planning commission violated the state's open-meeting law.

In the meantime, Laurie Cardoza-Moore, a lobbyist for anti-Islam group Proclaiming Justice To The Nation, spearheaded a lawsuit alleging the ICM was part of a broad conspiracy to "take over" Middle Tennessee. Herman Cain, then a candidate for president, criticized the mosque as well.

Nevertheless, construction persisted, even after excavators used in groundbreaking were doused with gasoline and set on fire. The mosque opened its doors in August 2012 and in the ensuing time has received bomb threats and been the victim of occasional incidents of vandalism.

Image via Rutherford County Sheriff's Office