Man Arrested After Rocks and Bible Thrown Through Glass at Colorado Mosque

A man suspected of vandalizing a mosque in Fort Collins, Colo. was arrested Monday.

Joseph Scott Giaquinto, 35, was identified as the suspect in the case, after security footage showed a man attempting to break into the Islamic Center of Fort Collins on Sunday morning, the Coloradoan reported, citing Fort Collins Police Services.

Police said the suspect threw large rocks through the center’s glass doors, leaving shards of glass covering the prayer room floor. A Bible also appeared to have been thrown through the broken glass, investigators said.

About 1,000 people gathered at the Islamic Center on Sunday night in a rally of support.

Giaquinto, who served as a combat medic in the Army, was arrested Monday on suspicion of several charges, including a crime motivated by bias, criminal mischief and trespassing, the Coloradoan reported.

His father, Michael Giaquinto, said he didn’t think his son was responsible for the attack.

“No matter what we find out happened, my son is a good man,” he told the Coloradoan. “He served his country well. Even if he was involved, and I’m not saying he was, it would just indicate that he was in a kind of a bad place.”