A newly released 911 recording is sending shockwaves through the Islamic Association of Raleigh after a caller threatened to blow up the campus and told dispatchers, “I hate Muslims.” The call set off an immediate evacuation and a sweep of the grounds. Mosque leaders say staff and their security team moved quickly to clear the building and confirm there were no explosive devices, while congregants say the audio has reignited long-simmering fears about anti-Muslim threats in the Triangle. Civil-rights groups are now pushing for investigators to scrutinize the caller’s motive as a possible hate crime.
The full recording and transcript surfaced this week in local coverage, capturing a caller who used an altered voice with an Australian accent and repeatedly targeted the masjid. As reported by WRAL, the exchange with 911 ran more than 12 minutes, during which the caller claimed to have placed four bombs before declaring he “hates Muslims.” Police and mosque security teams then swept the campus and ultimately found no explosive devices.
The North Carolina office of the Council on American-Islamic Relations has urged authorities to treat the incident as a potential hate crime, arguing that threats against houses of worship require the most serious response the law allows. In a press release from CAIR, the group noted that the Islamic Association of Raleigh later announced the campus had been cleared. A separate 2026 civil-rights report from CAIR documents a sharp rise in complaints, recording 8,683 incidents in 2025, and places the Raleigh threat within a broader nationwide increase in anti-Muslim incidents.
What the 911 Call Reveals
The 911 transcript includes several explicit references to Islam and repeats violent threats aimed at the congregation, with the caller telling operators that devices had been planted at multiple locations on the property. Reporting by WRAL highlights accounts from mosque security leaders who describe an orderly evacuation coordinated by longtime security vice chair Rasid Salahat, along with close cooperation from responding officers. Civil-rights advocates say the length of the call, the caller’s specific language, and the knowingly false bomb claims are exactly the kind of red flags that warrant a full bias-motivated investigation.
Investigation and Legal Questions
So far, local officials have not announced any arrests, and investigators have not released new information about leads or a possible suspect. Under North Carolina law, knowingly making a false report about a destructive device is a crime. State statutes treat false reports involving bombs and hoaxes as felony offenses and classify those acts as Class H felonies. See the North Carolina General Assembly’s statutes on false reports and hoaxes for the precise legal language and potential penalties: North Carolina General Assembly.
Community leaders say the mosque will keep working with law enforcement and other partners to review security and support congregants, while advocates are calling for transparency as the case moves forward. CAIR and local organizers are urging federal and state authorities to approach the 911 threat as a possible hate crime while investigators try to determine who made the call and why.
