It was burglary and arson. But was it a hate crime, too?

Minneapolis police were investigating all three Friday after an Islamic religious center was broken into early Thursday, resulting in the destruction of religious texts.

Representatives of the mosque — the Abubakar As-saddique Islamic Center, 2824 13th Ave. S. — said their security tape showed a man breaking into the building about 2 a.m. and then leaving without causing damage. But a second man is seen entering through the same window three hours later while people prayed elsewhere in the building.

A worshipper noticed smoke, and firefighters quickly put out the blaze. Though no one was hurt, dozens of Islamic books and other pieces of literature were destroyed, said mosque spokesman Mohamed Issa.

"While we think this case has the fingertips of a hate crime, we're not making any judgment on any particular people, community or faith,'' Issa said in a statement. [Link]