Minnesota governor: Islamic center IED blast an 'act of terrorism'

A group of state and national politicians gathered Sunday to see for themselves the damage caused by an improvised explosive device at the Dar Al-Farooq Islamic Center in Bloomington just one day earlier.

The blast went off during morning prayers around 5 a.m., shocking those gathered with plumes of smoke coming from a window near the Imam's office. Police came to investigate, but have not located any suspects.

Governor Mark Dayton didn't mince words, calling the attack an "act of terrorism" and a "hate crime," calling on all Minnesotans to support their Muslim brothers and sisters.

"What a terrible, dastardly, cowardly, terrible act this was," he said. "In Minnesota, we accept one another, we support one another, we respect one another, we live together, we work together, we succeed together, and we’re not going to let one bad person get in the way of that.”

U.S. Rep. Keith Ellison and state Rep. Ilhan Omar, DFL-Minneapolis, joined the governor in denouncing the bombing, all saying that the hope is to bring the perpetrator to justice as quickly as possible.

"There is no better way to condemn the person who would through a bomb into this mosque–this house of worship–than to react in a loving, kind and inclusive way," Ellison said. "That bomb does not represent Bloomington, it does not represent any of us.”

When asked if President Donald Trump's rhetoric toward Islam both at home and abroad contributed to a culture of hate toward the community, Ellison said the uptick in intolerance predates the President--though he certainly hasn't helped--and hopes Trump will condemn the act publicly in the coming days.