City Man Charged With Northeast Philadelphia Islamic Center Arson

PHILADELPHIA - United States Attorney David Metcalf announced that Vincent Lang, 60, of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, was arrested today and charged by criminal complaint with one count of maliciously damaging or destroying by means of fire any building or property used in interstate commerce, or attempting to do so, in connection with an arson fire last week at a city mosque.

The criminal complaint alleges that, in the early hours of July 5, 2026, the defendant approached the Northeast Philadelphia Islamic Center, located on the 1400 block of Tyson Avenue, ignited an improvised incendiary device, and threw the device into the entryway of the mosque, causing a fire inside the structure.

If convicted, the defendant faces a maximum possible sentence of 20 years in prison, with a mandatory minimum of five years' imprisonment.

The case is being investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives Arson and Explosives Task Force, with assistance from the FBI, Philadelphia Fire Department Fire Marshal's Office Special Investigations Unit, Philadelphia Police Department, and Pennsylvania Office of Attorney General, and is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Amanda R. Reinitz and J. Jeanette Kang, with the assistance of the Department of Justice Civil Rights Division.

The charges and allegations contained in the criminal complaint are merely accusations. Every defendant is presumed to be innocent unless and until proven guilty in court.