Man sentenced to nearly 6 years in federal prison for setting fires in 2 Hennepin County mosques

A man has been sentenced to nearly six years (70 months) in federal prison for setting fires at two mosques in Hennepin County in 2023.

Jackie Rahm Little was sentenced in federal court on one count of arson and one count of damage to religious property. He must also pay over $378,000 in restitution.

Little is also charged in state court, where he is scheduled to appear on March 25.

Federal prosecutors said Little set a cardboard box on fire in the bathroom of Masjid Omar Islamic Center in April 2023. An employee interrupted Little and he ran away.

According to court documents, Little was seen on surveillance video the next day entering Mercy Islamic Center with a bag that contained a gas can. A short time later, a staff member saw a fire on the top floor of the building. A melted gas can was found at the site of the fire.

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Little was seen on surveillance video buying a gas can and filling it with gas on the day of the arson.

Court documents note that Little has been civilly committed several times due to mental illness — at least one of the incidents involved arson.

Little was charged with one alleged arson incident in December 2021, but was found incompetent by the court, according to records.
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