Mosque vandalised near Seattle, Washington

Redmond: A mosque in Redmond, Washington, US, was vandalised in the early hours of Monday morning. A granite sign in front of the Muslim Association of Puget Sound (MAPS) was apparently smashed with a sledgehammer, breaking away portions of the top of the sign, causing significant cracks in a corner of the approximately 5-foot tall, 6-foot wide carved stone placard that sits on the corner of NE 67^th Court and 176^th Avenue NE, about 11 miles (18 km) from downtown Seattle, and two miles (three kilometers) from the main campus of Microsoft Corporation.MAPS has over 5,000 members and is the largest mosque in the state of Washington. MAPS President Mahmood Khadeer said they had a bomb threat after the June Orlando nightclub shooting, but this is the first time the mosque has been vandalised. Several threats to worshipers were later called into Redmond Police. Khadeer said none of the centre’s activities would be curtailed, and the Wednesday Thanksgiving dinner celebration would be held as planned. The mosque is to add armed guards and security cameras and, until further notice, only the front door would be opened.