TOMPKINSVILLE — A pipe-wielding man allegedly threatened to kill Muslims and an imam at a Staten Island mosque early Friday morning, prosecutors said.
Angel Mercado, 38, of Tompkinsville, was arrested in front of the Albanian Islamic Cultural Center, 307 Victory Blvd., at about 1:10 a.m., after he went inside, grabbed a pipe and threatened to kill Muslims, the NYPD said.
"The Muslim people are here to conquer us, you f--king Muslims I am going to kill you," Mercado said while pointing the PVC pipe at the 57-year-old imam, according to court documents.
"This is not the end. You're going to hear about me. I am going to cut your b---s off."
Aside from the imam, at least two other people were inside the mosque at the time, police said.
Mercado's expected to be charged with hate crime menacing, criminal possession of a weapon and aggravated harassment at his Friday arraignment, according to the Staten Island District Attorney's office.
He has a long criminal history and was arrested 16 times from 1993 to 2014 for grand larceny, petit larceny robbery and more, police said.
Mercado pleaded guilty to the unauthorized use of a vehicle in 2005 and was most recently arrested in 2014 for criminal possession of marijuana, officials said.
The incident is the second at a New York City mosque this month. A Queens Muslim man was assaulted by three people outside one in Hollis on June 1.
The Council on American-Islamic Relations of New York (CAIR-NY) called on police Friday to increase security around mosques in the city after the two incidents.
"These recent incidents at mosques in our state demonstrate the need for stepped up security measures by community leaders and increased police presence in the area around Islamic institutions," Afaf Nasher, executive director of CAIR-NY, said in a statement.
