BOTHELL—The Islamic Center of Bothell received an anonymous website contact form submission titled “Blow up the mosque” on Sunday, June 8, which threatened and specifically detailed how they would attack the local religious center. Both local law enforcement and the FBI have been contacted, and it is now being investigated as a possible hate crime.
The comment came in at approximately 9:21 p.m. by a user who gave their name as “Filthy” and allegedly used a fake email. In the contact form submission, the user said they hope a bomb goes off during Friday prayer and everyone in the mosque “dies” and “rots in hell.”
“Kill all Muslim men. Send a bomb to jummah prayer and blow up in pieces to hell where you f*ckers belong,” the contact form states.
On Thursday, June 12, the Washington State chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-WA), a chapter of the nation’s largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization, called on Washington state attorney general Nick Brown to investigate the incident, as well as a recent incident at an Edmonds park where an intoxicated man began verbally assaulting two Islamic women with racially charged comments.
“The explicitly violent threats reportedly sent to the Islamic Center of Bothell are extremely troubling,” said Imraan Siddiqi, CAIR-WA Executive Director. “We can never forget the attacks that took place in mosques such as Christchurch, Quebec City, or the horrific Oak Creek, Wisconsin, attack on a Sikh temple. We call on law enforcement to take these threats seriously and investigate them as a hate crime.”
A representative from the Islamic Center of Bothell said, in a statement:
“Following the extreme and targeted threat against our Islamic center, we stand united as a Muslim community, grounded in faith and trust in Allah (SWT). We hold our families and community members close in our hearts and prayers. We extend our deepest gratitude to the Bothell Police Department, CAIR-WA, and federal authorities for their swift response, which has brought reassurance to our congregation.
“Hate has no place in our diverse and welcoming community. We remain committed to the values of peace, compassion, and understanding that define both our faith and our broader Bothell community. We ask Allah (SWT) for continued protection and strength, and we pray that our unity, resilience, and commitment to peace will carry us through these trying times.”
Deputy Mayor and Bothell City Councilmember Rami Al-Kabra, who is a Muslim-American immigrant said he is thankful the comment turned out to be an empty threat. He thanked the Bothell Police Department for their swift action while calling on people, of all conscience, to act with kindness and compassion towards one another.
CAIR-WA chalked the threat up to the Trump Administration’s recent travel bans, which mostly targets Muslim countries in Africa and the Middle East, as well as the President’s “inflammatory rhetoric,” continuing that the threat is a clear example of how discriminatory polices can lead to tangible threats and violence.
President Trump imposed a travel ban to 12 countries from entering the U.S. this week, following a firebombing attack in Colorado. The suspect in that incident, 48-year-old Mohamed Sabry Soliman, was known to be sympathetic to the radical Islamic group Muslim Brotherhood. Though Soliman is an Egyptian National, Egypt was not included in the countries Trump banned from traveling to the U.S.
The President’s travel ban has been criticized by some as being “racist,” and “xenophobic,” with Rep. Bonnie Watson Coleman (NJ-12) calling it “another sickening display of the racism, Islamophobia, and white nationalism that permeate this administration.”
CAIR-WA urged the FBI and the Washington State Attorney General to act swiftly to protect the Washington’s Muslim community and ensure that the perpetrator of the Islamic Center threat faces the full consequences of their actions.
Last Month, the Austin chapter of CAIR (CAIR-Austin), along with representatives of three mosques vandalized with Stars of David, held a news conference condemning the hateful actions against the houses of worship and inviting public for a community gathering of solidarity and mutual respect.
Earlier this year, CAIR released its 2025 Civil Rights Report “Unconstitutional Crackdowns,” which reveals that Islamophobia continues to be at an all-time high across the country. CAIR said viewpoint discrimination against those speaking out against genocide and apartheid was a key factor in many cases.
Author: Kienan Briscoe
2 Responses
interesting. You know the Bothell Islamic Center believes non-Muslims are the worst of all creatures and they Jews and Christians shouldn’t be taken as allies, right?
“Send a bomb to jummah prayer” – umm that pretty much right there proves this is a self-inflicted hoax. No non-muslim is going to call it “jummah prayer”. Hate crime hoaxes need harsher punishment