FBI Finds Pipe Bomb Used in Blast at Jacksonville, Fla., Mosque

(May 12) -- FBI officials in Jacksonville, Fla., say they have found the remnants of a pipe bomb used in a possible hate crime at a mosque during evening prayers.

Along with local police, the FBI launched an investigation after an explosion shook the Islamic Center of Northeast Florida at 9:35 p.m. Monday, when approximately 60 people were inside praying. No one was injured.

Investigators looked for clues at the Islamic Center off St. Johns Bluff Rd in Jacksonville, FL.

Bob Self, The Florida Times-Union

Investigators search for clues at the Islamic Center in Jacksonville, Fla., on Tuesday, after an explosive device was ignited near a back door of the mosque on Monday.

"They heard a loud explosion and went out an emergency exit in the back," Muhammad Mansoori, a Jacksonville resident who worships at the mosque, told AOL News. "There was a fire, and a wall where the bomb was left was blackened. Otherwise, the building is sturdy, no real damage."

Mansoori said the Muslim population in Jacksonville totals around 5,000 families and that most who practice the religion do so at the Islamic Center mosque.

The Council on American-Islamic Relations held press conferences in Miami and Tampa today, and announced a $5,000 reward for information leading to an arrest and conviction of the person who planted the bomb.

"This incident comes after a man was seen barging into the mosque on April 4, shouting anti-Muslim slurs and threatening to come back later," Ibrahim Hooper, the council's communication director, told AOL News. "We're not sure if he is involved with this latest attack."

The FBI has released surveillance video taken at the mosque that shows a potential suspect walking in the area where the bomb exploded and close to the time the blast occurred.

Paul Hooker, a board member of the Interfaith Council of Jacksonville, issued a statement on behalf of the organization condemning the incident.

"The attempted bombing on Monday night was a cowardly and morally reprehensible act," the statement read. "Such an act besmirches the good name of our city and exposes how much work there is yet to do in teaching the values of religious tolerance and brotherhood."

Anyone with information on the bombing is asked to contact the FBI's Jacksonville office at 904-248-7000.