DEFENDANT SENTENCED FOR THREATENING ISLAMIC CENTER
MINNEAPOLIS, MN – In a shocking turn of events, Daniel George Fisher, 57, of Minneapolis, Minnesota was sentenced to 12 months in prison for mailing a threatening letter to the Tawfiq Islamic Center (TIC).
The letter, which was written in September 2015, threatened to ‘blow up your building with all you immigrants in it.’ It also included slurs and disparaging statements, evincing Fisher’s strong anti-Muslim animus.
Fisher pleaded guilty to violating 18 U.S.C. § 247, for obstructing, by threat of force, the free exercise of religious beliefs. According to his guilty plea, he had been increasingly angry with Muslims since the 9/11 terrorist attacks in New York and DC.
Fisher admitted that he sent the letter to scare and intimidate the TIC’s members so they would stop building the Center in his former neighborhood.
Acting Assistant Attorney General Tom Wheeler said, ‘The free exercise of one’s religious beliefs is a fundamental tenet of our Democracy. This sentence sends a message that anyone who threatens others with violence because of religious intolerance will face significant consequences.’
U.S. Attorney Andrew Luger of the District of Minnesota added, ‘My Office takes very seriously any threat of violence against an individual or their place of worship based on race, religion or cultural practices.’
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Key Facts
- State: Minnesota
- Category: Violent Crime
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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