FBI probes Somali teen's death as hate crime

Authorities in Kansas City, Missouri said Friday that they are investigating whether a case in which a man killed a teenager with his SUV outside a Somali community center constituted a hate crime.

Police arrested a 30-year-old suspect attempting to flee the scene of Thursday's crash, and said the man had a machete and other weapons in the vehicle. Police told Kansas City’s Fox 4 News that there was a "considerable" evidence the crash was intentional.

The fatal crash nearly severed the 15-year-old's legs, and another victim was taken to the hospital with non-life threatening injuries. 

The identities of the victim and the suspect have not been released, but both are believed to be of Somali descent. According to witnesses, the suspect has a history of hating Muslims, local news reported.

Kansas City police spokeswoman Kari Thompson said early Friday that the teen’s death is being investigated as a homicide.

Federal agents are assisting in the investigation and "also have opened this matter as a federal civil rights investigation as a potential hate crimes violation," according to FBI spokeswoman Bridget Patton.

Patton said she couldn't release any information on why the case could be considered a hate crime, but Muslim leaders called for an investigation into the motives early Friday.

According to a 2012 FBI report, the latest available, 1,066 offenses motivated by religious bias were reported nationwide. About 13 percent of those crimes were anti-Muslim, according to the FBI.

The Kansas City Muslim community is "deeply shocked" by the death, Zulfiqar Malik, a board member with the Heartland Muslim Council, said in a news release.

A phone message left by The Associated Press for the director of the Somali Center of Kansas City wasn't immediately returned.

Khadra Dirir, the victim's aunt, told TV station WDAF that the family was "destroyed" by what happened.

"He's a sweet, loving kid," Khadra Dirir said. "He doesn't deserve this."

Al Jazeera and The Associated Press