Man arrested toting Molotov cocktails accused of possibly targeting Orland Park mosque, police say

A 31-year-old man arrested over the weekend allegedly toting more than half a dozen Molotov cocktails in his backpack was possibly planning on threatening an Orland Park mosque, police said.

It was about 2:55 a.m. Saturday when Mokena police officers spotted Hamed Alsaidi walking in the middle of the 191st Street near LaGrange Road, Mokena Police Chief Brian Benton said, adding it was actually the second time officers encountered him in the space of a few hours.

But when officers stopped him the second time, Alsaidi, of the 5700 block of Circle Drive in Oak Lawn, gave them a false name, Benton said.

When officers learned of the bogus name, he was taken into custody for walking in the roadway and giving officers a fake name and he was searched, including the backpack he was wearing, the chief said.

Inside the backpack they found a blanket and several — seven or eight — glass bottles of various sizes filled with what appeared to be alcohol, with cloth stuffed in them, according to Benton.

Also in the backpack officers found the word mosque scribbled on a scrap of paper that also included a drawing and directions, according to Benton.

"We called our state fire marshal and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and the FBI to assist in the investigation," Benton said.

Earlier that evening, officers were called to a gas station at 187th and Wolf, for a report of a suspicious person who was behind their business, Benton said. "They asked him what he was doing and he said he was just looking for a place to sleep," Benton said.

Alsaidi said he wanted to go to a Quick Mart nearby and officers then gave him a lift and dropped him off there, Benton said. "He didn't do anything wrong but they did keep an eye out the next few hours."

Ultimately, the Will County state's attorney's office later approved an unlawful use of a weapon and obstructing a peace officer, both of which are felonies, Benton said.

In a Facebook post, Orland Park police said they learned the Mokena arrest possibly involved threats directed toward the Orland Park Prayer Center, a mosque at 16530 104th Ave. in Orland Park.

Since learning of the incident, the Orland Park Police Department has remained in close communication with the Mokena Police Department, our federal law enforcement partners, and security personnel at the Orland Park Prayer Center, according to the post.

A Will County judge on Sunday released Alsaidi a home monitoring and was expected back in court on Aug. 24, according to Benton.

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