Large police/swat presence in Greenwood neighborhood. Suspect arrested, accused of threatening N. Seattle Mosque pic.twitter.com/2UYVAF42vI
— Teresa (@cougchic) June 14, 2016
"Earlier today, the suspect posted threats online and, in a separate posting, claimed to have purchased an assault rifle and extra ammunition," according to a statement from Seattle police.
A mosque in Redmond has been the target of anonymous threats since the Pulse nightclub shooting in Orlando on Sunday.
Last week, police arrested a white man in downtown Seattle for brutally beating a black man while making derogatory comments about his race.
Anti-Muslim hate crimes have surged during the 2016 election season, according to a report issued last month by Georgetown University. And hate crimes have been on the rise in recent years in Washington state. The Stranger has previously reported on a man wearing a neo-Nazi armband on the Seattle ferry, anti-black slurs painted in a family's driveway, and other threats directed at local mosques.