Deputies: Man arrested for making threatening calls to Central Florida mosque
OSCEOLA COUNTY, FL - The Osceola County Sheriff's Office announced on Sunday that a man has been arrested for allegedly making threatening calls to a mosque in Central Florida.
Threatening calls were made to the American Muslim Leadership Center located on W. Irlo Bronson Memorial Highway on Wednesday, the Osceola County Sheriff's Office said. The threats were said to have been made on the phone and the suspect, identified as Jaran Ali Rasanjani Tyrell, expressed his hatred and disdain for the Muslim community and certain individuals in that community. He specifically left at least two profanity-laced messages, talking about a man who he believed "shot up Orlando" and asked "you that Muslim, right? You that terrorist, right?" before going into a tirade.
The American Muslim Leadership Council Center called out the Osceola County Sheriff's Office for not taking the threats seriously enough, stating that the sheriff "failed the American Muslim community once again". They also called on the FBI and other federal law enforcement for action to ensure their safety.
Since then, the Osceola County Sheriff's Office announced that they increased patrols and began routine checks of all the mosques in the county. They later announced that they were able to arrest Tyrell for Aggravated Stalking/Evidencing Prejudice While Committing Offense on Saturday.
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"The Osceola County Sheriff’s Office is committed to the safety and wellbeing of all of our residents. We take every threat to members of our community very serious and are dedicated to investigating and bringing persons to justice who threaten anyone," they said.
They also asked that anyone with any information regarding a similar incident, contact the contact the Osceola County Sheriff’s Office at (407) 348-2222 or Crimeline at 1-800-423-8477.
This story was written in Orlando, Florida.