A Beaver County man is accused of leaving an expletive-laden voicemail threatening Muslims at a mosque in northern Allegheny County.
Ted Steven Frank, 54, of Center Township was sent to Allegheny County Jail on Tuesday after District Judge Matthew J. Brungo denied bail. Frank is charged with felony counts of ethnic intimidation and terroristic threats.
In a court filing, Northern Regional Police said they responded to a bomb threat shortly after 5:30 p.m. Saturday at the Islamic Center of Western Pennsylvania in Marshall.
A witness told police he had received a threatening voicemail on his phone shortly before 5:30 p.m. The voicemail caused panic and the mosque was evacuated, police said.
In the message, which police quoted in an affidavit, Frank said Muslims should leave the United States and specifically said they should “go back to Iran.”
Frank said they “don’t even have the right to … live” and, if he was in charge, he would “wipe every … Muslim off the face of the … Earth,” according to the criminal complaint.
Police did a full security sweep of the facility, including the use of police dogs, the Islamic Center said in a statement.
To ensure the safety of congregants, the center’s board canceled Iftar, the communal breaking of fast, and Isha and Taraweeh prayers that evening.
“While this decision was heartbreaking, especially during the last few nights of the holy month of Ramadan, the safety of our community must always come first,” said Dr. Sarmad Ashfaq, a member of the center’s board.
Northern Regional Police said they were able to connect the phone number used to leave the message to Frank. The same phone number also was found to be used on the Facebook page of a contracting business owned by Frank, the complaint says.
Frank did not have an attorney listed in court records.
In its statement, the Islamic Center acknowledged the prompt response of local law enforcement and emphasized the importance of continued vigilance and accountability in ensuring community safety.
“We appreciate the actions taken by law enforcement to address this situation and are encouraged to see it being treated with the seriousness it warrants,” Ashfaq said. “We are also grateful for the support we’ve received from partner organizations during this time.”
The Pittsburgh chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations welcomed Frank’s arrest and called for continued vigilance to protect Muslim communities.
“This incident is deeply concerning, but it is not isolated,” said Christine Mohamed, executive director of CAIR-Pittsburgh. “When a mosque is targeted, it impacts an entire community, including families, children and individuals simply seeking to worship in peace. No one should feel unsafe gathering for prayer, especially during Ramadan. We will continue working with community partners to support efforts that ensure accountability and the protection of our community.”
U.S. Rep. Summer Lee issued a statement saying she was outraged by the message and stands with the Islamic Center and the entire Muslim community.
“Targeting a place of worship is always horrible, but it is especially heartbreaking that is happening during the month of Ramadan. I am working with local and federal authorities to help ensure that the Muslim community can pray and celebrate in peace,” Lee said.
“The level of open and unchecked Muslim hatred, bigotry and fearmongering all over TV, social media and in Congress is reprehensible,” she said. “Just in the past few weeks, members of Congress have called Muslims ‘enemies’ and said ‘we need more Islamophobia, not less.’ And as we are seeing in Western Pa. and around the country, this kind of rhetoric has consequences. Republican leadership should be ashamed for not condemning this. Our communities should stand together in these difficult times.”
Frank is scheduled for a preliminary hearing before Brungo on April 1.