Man accused of vandalizing Minnesota mosque says it was joke

MOORHEAD, Minn. (AP) — A man accused of spray-painting hate messages on a Minnesota mosque told police he meant it as a joke. Twenty-two-year-old Benjamin Enderle, of Moorhead, Minnesota, is charged with felony criminal damage to property and misdemeanor harassment with bias.

The charges carry a maximum penalty of five years in prison. Authorities say Enderle vandalized the outside of the Moorhead Fargo Islamic Community Center building and grounds with a swastika and phrases including “Death to Islam,” “Go to hell” and “Kane lives.”

Enderle told police he wanted to get a reaction from the community and the media, and said he doesn’t “hate them.”