Henry Cray Glaspell, a 34-year-old Texas man who admitted to burning down a playground at an Islamic center, throwing cat litter at the mosque’s door and yelling racial and ethnic slurs at people entering the building, just landed in prison for 14 months.
Glaspell, who had been out on bond, surrendered to federal authorities on Nov. 21 and was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Terry R. Means, the Justice Department announced Monday.
As TPM previously reported:
During an interview with federal and local law enforcement officials in August, Glaspell admitted that he committed the acts because he hates people of Middle Eastern descent, but clarified that his animus at the individuals at the Mosque was not because they were Muslim, according to a court document. He also admitted to frequently using the term “towel head” to describe individuals at the Mosque.
“The defendant targeted Arab-Americans at a mosque where families worship peacefully and children play,” DOJ’s Thomas E. Perez said in a statement. “The Justice Department is committed to vigorously prosecuting hate crimes against all persons and incidents of this kind will not be tolerated in our country.”
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