Reston Police Officers Rally Behind Local Muslims as Tensions Rise

RESTON, VA — Police officers in Reston have a message for Muslims in the area: we have your back.

In the wake of a deadly attack on a mosque in Canada and growing anti-Muslim rhetoric nationwide, local police want area Muslims to know that they will be there for them, the Fairfax County Police Department said in a recent Facebook post.

Reston patrol officers reached out to the Muslim faith community recently "in order to quell their fears and affirm that we are with them in this tragic time of need," the post states.

The officers visited the Al Fatih Academy and the Adams Center in Reston.

Canadian police have charged the French-Canadian student who is accused of fatally shooting six Muslim worshipers at a mosque in Quebec and wounding many others. Bissonnette was reportedly known on his campus for having far-right nationalistic views. President Trump's recent ban on immigrants from Muslim countries has also significantly raised tensions for Muslims in the United States.

Image via FCPD