Guyanese charged in firebombing of mosque found fit to stand trial
New York (New York Daily News) – Ray Lengend, 43, is accused of hurling a Molotov cocktail at the Imam Al-Khoel Islamic
Mentally Fit:
Ray Lengend
Center in Jamaica, Queens, in December 2011 and carrying out five fire bombings using Starbucks Frappuccino bottles filled with gasoline that targeted Muslims.
He now faces federal hate-crime and arson charges. He was arrested two years ago for firebombing a mosque and had been found mentally fit to stand trial on state and federal hate crime charges, the Daily News has learned.
Ray Lengend was being treated at a maximum-security mental hospital until last month but is now fit to proceed, according to papers filed in Brooklyn Federal Court.
Lengend allegedly said that he carried out the attack because he was not allowed to use the mosque’s bathroom. During a terrifying spree, he also allegedly carried out five firebombings using Starbucks Frappuccino bottles filled with gasoline that targeted Muslims and an Arab-owned grocery store.
Lengend told cops he wanted to kill “as many Muslims and Arabs as possible”, authorities said.
The Guyanese immigrant is scheduled to be arraigned Thursday in Queens Supreme Court. He has also been indicted on federal charges of arson as a hate crime. His lawyer did not return a call for comment.
