PORTLAND, Maine (AP) — A national organization that advocates for Muslim civil rights is calling for state and federal investigations of vandalism that targeted a halal market in Portland, Maine.
Police in Portland were looking on Tuesday for someone suspected of using a baseball bat to smash six windows at Ahram Halal Market in the city. Police have said a witness saw a man break the windows late Saturday night.
The Council on American-Islamic Relations says it’s important for authorities to investigate the possibility of anti-Muslim bias as a motivation for the crime. The group says the attack falls in line with a surge in anti-Muslim sentiment that it has seen across the country.
Police say there was no evidence that anything was taken from the store after the windows were smashed.
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