TIGARD, Ore. -- A bomb scare at a Tigard home early Sunday morning left a Muslim family concerned about bigotry.
The Washington County Sheriff's Office says there's no evidence to support a hate crime. But its investigators are not ruling out the possibility.
Footsteps and the smell of gasoline awakened 30-year-old Mas Kamawal in the middle of the night.
He was watching the family home -still under construction- while his parents were away.
"He was scared and he thought something was going on so he yelled," said Mas's older brother, Tawab.
Tawab said whoever trespassed onto their property left behind a ticking device and a terrible odor.
"There's gasoline everywhere all over the floors," he said.
Mas told KGW the foot-long contraption he discovered appeared to be sparking or had the ability to spark.
He said he reacted on pure instinct, given the presence of gasoline fumes, and threw the device out the door as quickly as possible, then called 911 immediately.
Authorities evacuated next door neighbors around 4:00 a.m. until bomb experts determined it was safe to return home.
"It was not a bomb. It was a timing device that looked like it was set to make a spark," said Sgt. Bob Ray of the Washington County Sheriff's Office.
"A little scared, not quite sure what's going on here," said neighbor Mary Sigl.
Without a known suspect or a clear motive, residents like Sigl fear this may have been a racist act against their Muslim neighbors.
"These people are so nice. They're quiet. They don't cause any problems whatsoever in the neighborhood so this is really wrong," said Sigl.
"I'm just trying to imagine how they must be feeling right now," said neighbor Soula Morris.
Tawab, who moved to the Portland area from Afghanistan when he was a child, said the thought of a hate crime did occur to him and his brother.
"We hope it's not. We know this is a difficult time especially in America," said Tawab Kamawal. "We like to preach tolerance and let people know that there's better ways to solve disputes -any concerns- whatever the reason or motive behind this may have been."
He and the Sheriff's Office say there were no signs leading up to this, no conflicts, no suspicious patterns of behavior.
"We haven't had anything like this" in Washington County, said Sgt. Ray. Still, authorities won't rule out a hate crime as they explore all possibilities in what appears to be an arson attempt.
The family has owned the property for six years and has plans to build a more homes on it. They say they have a good relationship with neighbors and they're truly puzzled as to who would plant the device and why.
