An Oklahoma City man has been arrested and accused of threatening to blow up a local mosque.
Larry Dewayne Hornsby, 54, was charged Monday in Oklahoma County District Court with a felony count of making a threat. He has been jailed on $20,000 bail.
“Given the heightened atmosphere of Islamophobia that the community faces, we are glad to see local law enforcement taking seriously the threats to our mosques and community centers,” said Veronica Laizure, director of the Oklahoma Council on American-Islamic Relations. “We urge our community to be vigilant and observant, particularly around the mosques and community centers, and to report their concerns to CAIR-OK and to local law enforcement agencies where appropriate.”
Prosecutors allege Hornsby made the threat March 23 at the Islamic Society of Greater Oklahoma. Hornsby reportedly was later identified by surveillance footage and arrested.
Hornsby has spent time in prison in the past for drugs and firearms offenses, records show.