Denver police have released an eerie-looking surveillance photo of three arson suspects wearing white masks and hoodies in connection with a house fire that killed five family members, including two children, from the African country of Senegal.
The August 5 fire killed Djibril Diol, 29, and Adja Diol, 23, and their 2-year-old daughter, Khadija, as well as Djibril’s sister, Hassan Diol, 25, and her infant daughter, Hawa Baye, according to police.
Three others in the home were able to escape the fire by jumping from the second floor.
“The fire appeared to be deliberately set by three unknown individuals wearing dark hoodies and full-face masks who fled the area in a dark colored 4-door sedan,” police said in a statement, asking for the public's help in identifying the suspects.
The victims were part the local Senegalese community, and Muslim leaders asked police last week to investigate the fire as a hate crime, according to Religion News Service.
“This loss has left a huge void in our Colorado Muslim community,” the Colorado Muslim Leadership Council said in a statement. “We call upon the Denver Police and Denver Fire Departments to expedite their arson investigation and bring those responsible to justice."
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