An Indiana
man has pleaded guilty to setting fire to the Islamic Center of Greater Toledo in
Perrysburg.
Former US Marine Randolph Linn pleaded guilty to charges of
damage to religious property, use of fire or explosive to commit a felony and
carrying a firearm in a crime of violence.
Linn told the court he did this because he was upset about images he'd
seen on television of Muslims killing Americans.
Lin says he consumed 45 beers in a 6-7 hour period on
September 30th before driving from St. Joe Indiana to
Perrysburg. He was armed with a handgun
and went room to room before setting the fire in a prayer room.
No one was inside the center at the time of the fire and no one was injured. Linn was arrested several days after the
crime.
In court Wednesday he said he did it because of those images
he'd seen on television and wanted to get pay back for people being
killed. He said he didn't think before
getting in his vehicle and driving to Perrysburg. Linn said he picked the Islamic Center
because he'd driven by it many times along his route as a truck driver.
Islamic Center leaders and prosecutors say intolerance like
this will not and cannot be tolerated.
"It's a loud and clear message to our society that we will
not tolerate people who have that much hate and who would attack a place of
worship because it's not a mosque, it's not Islam, it's a place of worship and
its scared," said Dr. Mahjabeen Islam, the president of the Islamic Center.
"I think we can all, in spite of the tragedy that happened
in this case, count ourselves lucky that 10-15 minutes before he entered,
went through the Islamic Center, that the last people had left," said US
Attorney Steven Dettelbach.
Linn will be formally sentenced in mid April, but as part of
the plea deal he's expected to get 20 years in prison.
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