Overview
- Vincent Lang, 60, was arrested and charged by federal complaint on Thursday in connection with a mosque fire that drew a multi‑agency probe.
- The criminal complaint says Lang approached the Northeast Philadelphia Islamic Center in the early hours of July 5, ignited an improvised incendiary device, and threw it into the building’s entryway, causing an interior fire.
- Federal prosecutors charged Lang under a statute for damaging property used in interstate commerce, a count that carries a maximum sentence of 20 years and a mandatory minimum of five years.
- The case is being investigated by the ATF Arson and Explosives Task Force with help from the FBI, Philadelphia fire and police units, and the Pennsylvania Office of Attorney General, and is being led in court by the U.S. Attorney’s Office with assistance from the Civil Rights Division.
- Officials have not released a motive, the full extent of damage, or whether anyone was inside when the fire occurred, and the criminal complaint is an accusation that could lead to grand‑jury action and further court proceedings.