by Megan Doyle

January 3, 2017

 

With no new evidence and no suspect, the Westbrook Police Department has closed an investigation into anti-Muslim threats found at an apartment complex in August.

Despite the apparent dead end, however, the police department’s response has quelled some of the fear that rippled through the local Muslim community after the discovery of the typewritten messages that read: “All Muslims are Terrorists should be Killed.”

 “They tell all the people in Westbrook Pointe, ‘Don’t worry, you are safe here,’ ” said Ahmed Ali, an Iraqi immigrant who lives in the apartment complex.

The unresolved case fits a national trend, as experts say many hate crimes are not prosecuted and few cases result in a conviction.

In 2015, the FBI reported 5,850 hate crimes across the country. In 257 incidents, the motive was determined to be an anti-Muslim bias. Those numbers are likely low. A 2013 Justice Department study indicated two-thirds of all hate crimes are not reported to police. Data on their prosecution are also limited and nationally inconsistent.

 

Full article:

Investigation of anti-Muslim hate crime in Westbrook ends with no answers