Three men have been charged after allegedly storming a University of South Florida parking garage and harassing Muslim students as they were performing morning prayers.
Police have identified the suspects as Christopher Svochak, Richard Penskoski and Ricardo Yepez, according to the Tampa Bay Times.
All three face a felony charge of disturbing schools and religious assemblies under Florida’s hate-crime enhancement law, as well as misdemeanour counts of disorderly conduct and disrupting a school or lawful assembly.
Police have said that none of the men charged are connected to the University of South Florida.
Footage circulated online showing the men confronting the Muslims students on the roof of a parking garage
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The charges came after an investigation was launched after footage circulated online showing the men confronting the Muslims students on the roof of the Collins Boulevard Parking Garage during fajr prayer.
In the footage, one man can be seen carrying a cardboard box reading “Kaaba 2.0 Jesus is Lord,” while another wore a thobe marked with the words “Jesus is God".
The students have claimed the men stood just inches away as they prayed and shouted “bow down to Lord Jesus Christ” and “your prophet married a 6-year-old".
The video also showed one of the men asking a student: "You don’t have a bomb on you do you?”
One of the men could be seen wearing a thobe marked with the words 'Jesus is God'
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Student Abu Tahir said: “They walked close to our heads while we entered the bowing position, so close that we genuinely had a fear that they were going to stomp on our heads.
“We had a thought in our head, do we break the prayer? Do we end the prayer to address whatever is going on?”
Mr Tahir said that once the worshippers had finished praying, the men pointed their cameras at them and kept shouting insults.
He added: “We had no idea whether we were going to leave there safely."
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Fellow worshipper and University of South Florida student Sajid Kahn said the men “walked, created this mockery of our culture, of our religion, of our traditions.”
USF Police Department Chief Chris Daniel said the force acted swiftly following the incident, saying: “We take this incident very seriously.
"Our department is committed to protecting every member of our community, and we will use every available resource to ensure accountability and maintain a safe environment for all."
Authorities have confirmed that the men have been handed trespass warnings, banning them from entering the university campus.
USF Police Department Chief Chris Daniel said the force acted swiftly following the incident
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On Friday, community leaders met at the Islamic Society of Tampa Bay Area to condemn the incident.
Hillsborough County Commissioner Harry Cohen labelled the ordeal "appalling", before asserting: "No one in America should be assaulted while exercising their constitutionally-protected rights.”
Mr Cohen called the men’s actions “simply intolerable in a decent and law-abiding society.”
Commissioner Gwen Myers said: “The Muslim community are our citizens. We cannot allow this to happen, and it will not happen.
"This is why we’re here today to stand with them."
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