Minneapolis business owner who cheered rioters burning down restaurant has van stolen, new business robbed

A business owner in Minneapolis, who set up shop across town a year after his first Indian restaurant was burned down last summer during riots after George Floyd's death, says his van full of supplies for his new establishment was stolen.

Ruhel Islam, an immigrant who grew up under a Bangladeshi dictatorship, said someone took the stolen van to his new restaurant, Curry In A Hurry, from in front of his home then used the keys left inside the truck to enter the building Monday, taking $500 from the register, Fox 9 Minneapolis reported.

His first restaurant, called Gandhi Mahal, was located just blocks away from the Minneapolis Police Department’s 3rd Precinct, which was also burned down by rioters last summer. The restaurant caught fire during the demonstrations. Islam and his daughter, Hafsa Islam, went viral on Facebook, writing in a post at the time, "Let my building burn. Justice needs to be served."

The building that once housed Gandhi Mahal on East Lake Street has since been demolished and a community garden has been erected in its place. Islam later opened Curry In A Hurry less than two miles away, which is open for takeout, delivery, catering and outdoor seating over the summer.

Islam said his catering truck was filled with newly purchased catering supplies, kitchen gear, and private business account paperwork when it was stolen from outside his home in the Morris Park/Nokomis area Saturday afternoon.

Stultorum eventus magister est, but I suppose some are slow learners.