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UK mosque set on fire, police probe Sussex arson as hate crime
Two individuals wearing balaclavas attempted to force open the mosque’s door before pouring gasoline on the steps and igniting it.
A mosque in the United Kingdom's Peacehaven, near Brighton, in England’s south coast, was reportedly set ablaze on Saturday night local time with two people inside.
The police are investigating the arson as a suspected hate crime, CNN reported. According to a voluntary mosque manager who spoke on condition of anonymity to the news outlet, two individuals wearing balaclavas attempted to force open the mosque’s door before pouring gasoline on the steps and igniting it.
No one was injured in the incident. A volunteer at the mosque told the BBC, “It could have been murder,” adding that the two people inside managed to escape unharmed.
Sussex Police said in a statement that while no one was injured in the incident, the front entrance of the building and a vehicle parked outside were damaged.
"We understand the concerns this has caused within the community, and the impact that will be felt by the Muslim community as a result," Detective Superintendent Karrie Bohanna was quoted by the BBC as saying.
Manchester synagogue attack
The incident in Peacehaven comes on the heels of another attack on a place of worship. The attack outside a synagogue in Manchester on Thursday left two Jewish people dead.
The suspect, who was shot dead at the scene, has been named as 35-year-old Jihad Al-Shamie, a British citizen of Syrian descent.
The chair of Brighton and Hove Muslim Forum, Tariq Jung, said that the events in Manchester and Peacehaven have left “everybody deeply saddened and appalled.”
He said that, irrespective of whether worshippers were Jewish, Christian, Hindu or Muslim, the "last thing" they should expect is that someone would try to harm them.
"I hope faith leaders and others within the community will come together to try and bring peace. We've got to support each other at this time of great need," he told BBC Radio Sussex.
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