Muslim Leader in Minnesota Calling for Life Sentence in Mosque Attack

ST. PAUL (AP) -- A Muslim leader in Minnesota is calling for life in prison for two men who admitted bombing a mosque.

Michael McWhorter and Joe Morris, both from Clarence, Illinois, pleaded guilty Thursday in federal court to five counts stemming from the 2017 attack. Their pipe bomb damaged the Dar al-Farooq mosque in the Minneapolis suburb of Bloomington but did not hurt anyone.

The two men admitted in guilty pleas that they hoped to intimidate Muslims into leaving the U.S. They face at least 35 years in prison.

Jaylani Hussein is executive director of the Council on American-Islamic Relations in Minnesota. He says life sentences are necessary to send a message that such acts won't be tolerated.

And Hussein added: "We aren't going anywhere.''