Three Illinois Men Charged in Minnesota Mosque Bombing

Three Illinois men have been charged in connection with the bombing of a Minnesota mosque last year that was allegedly carried out to “scare” Muslims out of the country. The U.S. attorney’s office in Springfield on Tuesday identified the three men as Michael B. Hari, 47, Joe Morris, 22, and Michael McWhorter, 29. The three men are accused of carrying out a bombing attack on the Dar Al-Farooq Islamic Center in Bloomington, Minnesota, last August that caused no injuries but sparked panic in the community. They are also suspected of attempting to bomb an abortion clinic in November. It was not immediately clear why the men allegedly targeted the Minnesota mosque rather than one closer to home, but one of the men, McWhorter, reportedly told investigators the group wanted to show Muslims they are not welcome and “scare them out of the country.” Hari, accused of recruiting the other two men for the mosque attack, told the Chicago Tribune last year that he’d drafted a $10 billion plan for President Trump’s U.S.-Mexico border-wall initiative.