Burglary leaves St. Cloud Islamic Center 'ransacked,' suspects arrested

(FOX 9) - Two suspects from a Twin Cities suburb have been arrested for allegedly burglarizing the St. Cloud Islamic Center, causing damage and leaving an office ransacked.

According to the St. Cloud Police Department, at 4:11 a.m. on Sept. 8, officers responded to the Islamic Center located in the 300 Block of 5th Ave. South after a report that an employee found damage to the building.

Once onsite police found damage to an exterior door of the mosque, and additional damage inside, including broken ceiling tiles and a ransacked office.

Using video surveillance officers were able to locate both suspects – identified as Logan Oliver Smith, 23, and Victoria Catalina Veliz, 25, of New Hope – at a nearby hotel around 6:43 a.m. They were taken into custody without incident.

A search warrant was executed on their hotel room, and evidence collected was linked to the scene of the burglary.   

Both were transported to the Stearns County Jail where they are held on felony burglary charges.  

The incident is currently being processed as a bias motivated crime, and coordination with the FBI is ongoing, according to a press release. 

Additional police patrols will be provided to the local Islamic Center and area mosques, according to police.