On Sunday, June 5, 2022, at 4:38 a.m., the East Grand Forks Police Department was alerted to an arson at the Islamic Center at 1500 5th Ave NE. Officers arrived to learn that a woman had lit a curtain on fire and left westbound. Officers identified the woman from surveillance videos and located her a short time later. Suzette Gay Thompson was arrested for 1st Degree Arson.
Thanks to the quick actions of a bystander, the damage was minimal to the Islamic Center, and no one was harmed in this incident. Several people were present for the morning prayer.
The matter remains under investigation with the Minnesota State Fire Marshall’s Office.
Thompson appeared at the Polk County Court on two counts of Arson in the First Degree with a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison and/or a $20,000 fine. Thompson was held at the Northwest Regional Corrections Center on a $5,000 bail pending her next hearing.
