Florida man charged with hate crimes in mosque bomb threat

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – A Florida man has been charged with federal hate crimes after allegedly phoning bomb threats to a mosque.

A grand jury indictment released Friday charges 26-year-old Dustin Allen Hughes with obstructing free exercise of religious beliefs and making threats by telephone. Hughes is set to enter a plea next week. He faces decades in prison if convicted.

Federal prosecutors say several voicemail messages were left earlier this month at the Jamaat ul Muttaqeen Mosque in Pembroke Pines.

The voicemails were laced with profanity and said things such as, “I planted a bomb in your temple. … You guys are all gonna be up in flames after I’m done with you!”

Prosecutors say Hughes confessed to leaving the messages because he wanted to upset and frighten Muslims.