Police in Portland, Maine, say they are treating graffiti spray-painted on a market that caters to Muslims as a hate crime. Portland Assistant Police Chief Vernon Malloch said surveillance video shows a white male in a long black hooded sweat shirt painting the graffiti onto a side of the Halaal Market on Saint John Street at 5 a.m. Sunday. The graffiti was reported to police at 9 a.m. Malloch said because of the content of the graffiti and its placement on a business that caters to the Muslim community, the incident is being investigated as a hate crime. The case will be referred to the attorney general’s office, according to Malloch, who said no similar incidents have been reported. Police are asking anyone with information to call 207-874-8584.
Portland, Maine