Man arrested, charged with leaving voicemail bomb threat at Pittsburgh-area Islamic mosque
A man from Beaver County has been arrested and charged with leaving a threatening voicemail message at the Islamic Center of Western Pennsylvania mosque in Marshall Township.
Ted Frank, 54, of Center Township, has been charged with felony counts of ethnic intimidation and terroristic threats after police said a bomb threat was called into the mosque as part of what police described in court paperwork as a threatening voicemail left on the center's phone on Friday.
Northern Regional Police said in court documents that the voicemail left on Friday threatened the well-being of Muslims and caused panic within the mosque on Warrendale Bayne Road, which was evacuated.
According to the criminal complaint, investigators traced the voicemail's caller ID and linked the phone call to Frank.
Police quoted Frank as saying in the alleged message that Muslims should leave the United States and "go back to Iran."
In a statement, the Pittsburgh chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations' executive director said the incident is deeply concerning, but it is not isolated.
"When a mosque is targeted, it impacts an entire community, including families, children, and individuals simply seeking to worship in peace," said Christine Mohamed. "No one should feel unsafe gathering for prayer, especially during Ramadan. We will continue working with community partners to support efforts that ensure accountability and the protection of our community."
The council said that congregational prayers at the mosque were cancelled out of concern for community safety.
"That had to be all curtailed because somebody thought it would be okay to spread hateful rhetoric," Mohamed said.
CAIR Pittsburgh's executive director said she believes Frank "has a lack of education" – and said the hatred needs to be addressed on a deeper level.
Mohamed said the Pittsburgh region has seen a rise in Islamophobic incidents over the course of the past year.
"It's been about an 84% increase in our region," she said.
Congresswoman Summer Lee said in a statement that she's outraged by the threatening message, adding that she stands with the Islamic Center and the entire Muslim community.
"Targeting a place of worship is always horrible, but it is especially heartbreaking that it is happening during the month of Ramadan," Rep. Lee said. "I am working with local and federal authorities to help ensure that the Muslim community can pray and celebrate in peace."
The Pittsburgh chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations said that, in addition to the Northern Regional Police Department's investigation, the FBI has been notified of the incident.
According to court records, Frank was denied bail and is being held in the Allegheny County Jail. He has a preliminary hearing scheduled for early April.
