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Snohomish Man Pleads Guilty in Idriss Mosque Arson
May 23, 2002 -- After the September 11 attacks, a swell of ethnically-based attacks on Muslims grew around the nation. Seattleites remember well the attempted arson and shooting at Northgate's Idriss Mosque. Patrick Michael Cunningham of Snohomish came to the mosque on September 13, armed with a gun and a tank of gasoline. He doused two unoccupied cars in the parking lot with gas and attempted to set fire to them. When some of the worshippers inside came out and discovered him in the act, he fired his gun at them. Though nobody was hurt that day, many local residents came forward to watch over the neighborhood mosque and assure that no further such attacks would occur.The case against Cunningham came to an end on May 9, when Cunningham pled guilty to one count of Attempted Obstruction of Free Exercise of Religion (his intention was to burn down the mosque) and one count of use of a firearm in relation to a violent crime. He could face 20 years to life in prison and fines totaling $500,000.
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