US army veteran threatens to behead Muslims in Texas mosque

This file photo shows the entrance of Masjid Al-Sahaabah in Watauga, Texas.

A US Army veteran has left a hateful voicemail for a mosque in Watauga, Texas, threatening to cut off the heads of “all” Muslim worshipers who go there.

“This message is for all Muslims there in that center; I live in Watauga, I’m a US Army veteran,” the caller fumes before launching an expletive-laced tirade against Islam and Muslims, an ABC News affiliate reported on Monday.

“We will cut all your heads off, do you understand me? All of you,” the caller goes on, as he claims there are “plenty of other veterans” in the city who are “heavily armed to the teeth” and ready to start a “crusade” against Muslims.

The FBI is assisting local authorities in investigating the call, which was made to Masjid Al-Sahaabah on July 30.

“We are working with the FBI to see if we can figure out exactly is going on with that individual who called,” said Watauga Sergeant Jason Babcock.

The veteran’s message drew condemnation from the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR).

Alia Salem, CAIR’s Executive Director for the Dallas-Fort Worth chapter, said the unknown caller’s rhetoric only adds “fuel to the fire.”

“There is a lot of people who are reading a lot of info online and unfortunately it adds to them becoming radicalized in their thinking towards Muslims,” Salem said. “And so they want to take some sort of action.”

The mosque’s authorities said they are used to hateful and Islamophobic phone calls but none of the previous calls contained violent threats.

“This individual screamed several expletives on the phone,” said Mujeeb Khalil, who is a member of the mosque’s board of directors. “We feel threatened by these calls.”

The threat comes at a time when American Muslims are under immense pressure from the US media, as well as some presidential candidates, who link them to terrorism.

In late July, hundreds of American Muslims and members of inter-faith organizations staged a rally in Washington, DC, to condemn the trend.