Blocked Bathroom Access Sparked NYC Mosque Attack

Police say an unemployed truck driver suspected of carrying out a string of firebombing attacks in New York has confessed to the attacks, and told them that he targeted a mosque because he wasn't allowed to use its bathroom. Ray Lazier Lengend, 40, has been charged with five counts of arson, with one count considered a hate crime, the New York Daily News reports. He has prior convictions for larceny and crack possession.

Lengend made "broad anti-Muslim statements" during questioning, and had a personal problem with each location attacked, including a store where he was caught trying to steal a pre-packaged Starbucks frappuccino, empty bottles of which were used in the attacks. Lengend also firebombed a relative's home, which he mistakenly believed was that of a crack dealer, and a home that doubled as a Hindu temple. Police say Lengend incorrectly believed that the Hindu house belonged to somebody he had a fight with years ago. (More Ray Lazier Lengend stories.)