Mosque set on fire in UK with two people…, hate crime fears rise in…

London: In a suspected hate crime incident, a mosque was set ablaze on Saturday night (local time) in the United Kingdom’s Peacehaven, a quiet coastal town which is located near Brighton. Local police are investigating the matter and treating the incident as a suspected hate crime, as per media reports from the UK. The attack took place when two individuals were inside the structure. However, they managed to escape unharmed, CNN reported.

It is worth noting that the suspected attack took place amid a tense and politically charged summer in the UK, which is dealing with Islamophobic and antisemitic incidents. A few days ago, a deadly attack outside a synagogue in Manchester was reported in which two Jewish worshippers were killed. They were rammed by a car and then stabbed on the holiest day – Yom Kippur.

Emergency services were called to the scene shortly before 10 pm after flames broke out at the entrance of the small mosque, which has been serving a local group of 10 to 15 worshippers for the past four years.

According to a volunteer mosque manager, confirmed, two masked individuals were seen on security footage arriving at the mosque wearing balaclavas. They attempted to force the main door open before pouring gasoline across the steps and setting it alight.

Inside the mosque at the time were the mosque’s chairman and another volunteer, both in their 60s, who had stayed behind after evening prayers to share a cup of tea, as per CNN.

“They heard a loud bang outside and fled the building as flames curled across the main entrance,” the manager said. “They could have easily died. These people came with full intent to cause maximum damage.”

“The chairman was shaking the whole time,” the manager added. “A neighbour came out onto the street crying. Everyone is scared. If someone was willing to do this, we don’t know what’s next.”

“Then we saw them pouring gasoline all over the floor and the door of the mosque and the chairman’s car outside,” the manager affirmed.

Police said the fire damaged the front of the mosque and a vehicle parked outside.

The chairman of the mosque is a taxi driver who depends on his vehicle for income, as stated by the manager. “Regrettably, only the remains of his car are left,” he mentioned. While no one was injured in the fire, law enforcement indicated that its effects will “be felt by the Muslim community” in the small coastal town.

(with ANI inputs)