‘MY COUNTRY!’

Virginia Man Charged With Assault After Mosque Knife Attack

The man allegedly entered Dar Al-Hijrah Mosque and tried to stab a security guard, threatening several congregants with a knife before being “shooed out.”

A Virginia man has been charged with assault and disorderly conduct after an attempted knife attack at a mosque in Seven Corners, Virginia. According to Saif Rahman, a spokesperson for Dar Al-Hijrah Islamic Center, Joseph Lincoln, 41, entered the mosque and allegedly attempted to stab a security guard before staff were able to “shoo him out.” A video obtained by The Daily Beast shows the latter part of their confrontation. A congregant can be seen tossing a traffic cone at a disturbed-seeming Lincoln, who can be heard screaming about “my country!” and threatening to “bring my soldiers.” At one point in the video, Lincoln appears to lunge at the filmer and waves a knife. The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) released a statement on the attack, urging mosques in the area to step up security measures. While police now have Lincoln in custody, Rahman says the atmosphere at the mosque is “apprehensive.” “We’ve got enough to deal with,” said Rahman. “People are just starting to come back to the mosque after COVID.” Reached by The Daily Beast, CAIR communications director Ibrahim Hooper urged law enforcement to “at least consider the possibility of a bias motive” and linked the foiled attack to a rising trend of hate crimes within the U.S.

Play Video