A Texas man has been sentenced to 30 years in prison for setting a string of fires at Muslim-owned businesses in San Antonio in 2003 and 2004, prosecutors said on Tuesday.
Thomas Carroll, 33, pleaded guilty to three counts of arson that were classified as hate crimes in a deal with Bexar County District Attorney Susan Reed.
Carroll set fire to businesses that were owned or operated by immigrants from India and Pakistan, said Reed in a statement. No one was hurt, but the businesses were badly damaged or destroyed.
"These crimes were targeted against people because of their national origin and were designed to spread fear throughout the whole community," she said.
"Terrorists commit crimes based on hatred of a people or a religion and such acts will not be tolerated and will be dealt with firmly."
Carroll was out on bail at the time of the fires for ramming his Toyota SUV into a Muslim-owned gasoline station.
He is a former auto transmission shop owner who told police and reporters after his arrest last year that he was not linked to any hate groups and had nothing against Muslims.
Sarwat Husain, the head of the Council for American Islamic Relations chapter in San Antonio, praised the sentence for Carroll.
"The stiff sentence handed down in this case sends a positive message to the American Muslim community that bias-motivated attacks will be prosecuted with vigor," Husain said.