A Thursday morning arson fire at a local Islamic school and prayer hall has authorities wondering whether a hate crime was committed.

The Islamic Education Center of Tampa, which is tucked away on a leafy street off Memorial Highway and George Road in Hillsborough County, was empty around 10:00 Thursday morning when firefighters responded to reports of a blaze.

After a gasoline-fueled fire was put out, all that remained inside the building were bits of burnt prayer rugs, and scorched copies of the Qu'ran. The building remained standing, having survived the fire... but little else did.....

Special Agent Al Rivera, acting as a spokesman for Tampa's Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI) added, "at this point what we're conducting is an arson investigation. We don't have any indication of anything else but an arson investigation." [Link]