Man jailed in UK for threatening to burn down mosques and kill Muslim worshippers

Blake Hindry, who was sentenced to two and a half years in prison after pleading guilty to all charges, called fives separate moques in London and threatened to set fire to them. (Metropolitan Police)
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Updated 16 August 2024
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Man jailed in UK for threatening to burn down mosques and kill Muslim worshippers

  • Blake Hindry, who was sentenced to two and a half years in prison after pleading guilty to all charges, called fives separate moques

LONDON: A man in the UK was jailed on Friday for threatening to burn down five mosques and kill Muslim leaders and worshippers inside the buildings.

Blake Hindry, who was sentenced to two and a half years in prison after pleading guilty to all charges, called fives separate moques in London and threatened to set fire to them, it was revealed.

During the calls made on Aug. 5, he also said that he would kill everyone inside the buildings. He was arrested three days later, the BBC reported.

The Metropolitan Police said that it “worked around the clock” to trace the calls to Hindry and hoped that justice would be served for communities who felt threatened by an upsurge in right-wing violence, which has targeted migrants and members of the Muslim community.

“We understand that Muslim communities have felt particularly concerned for their safety following the violent disorder and criminality the country has seen in recent weeks,” Metropolitan Police commander Louise Puddefoot said in a statement.

“Our teams continue to investigate all offenses committed during this period of disorder as we work hard to build trust and confidence in communities,” she said.

The riots — the worst in the UK since 2011 — erupted after a knife attack that killed three girls during a dance class on July 29 in Southport.

False rumors spread on social media that the suspect was a Muslim asylum seeker sparked anger and unrest, with anti-immigration riots raging for more than a week, leading to more than 1,000 arrests.

Also on Friday, British police charged an 18-year-old man and a 19-year-old woman with terrorism offenses after an investigation into suspected extreme right-wing terrorism activity.


Two family members of Mexico’s education secretary killed in shooting

Updated 33 min 20 sec ago
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Two family members of Mexico’s education secretary killed in shooting

MEXICO CITY: Authorities in the western Mexican state of Colima said they killed three people suspected in the shooting deaths of two family members of Mexico’s secretary of education on Saturday.
Colima, located on Mexico’s Pacific coast, is one of the country’s most violent states. It recorded the highest homicide rate in Mexico in 2023 and 2024, according to the US State Department.
The local prosecutor’s office said officers killed three suspects in the 4:30 am (1030 GMT) shooting of two women, whom Mexico’s Secretary of Public Education Mario Delgado later identified as his aunt and cousin.
They did not identify a motive in the shooting or say whether they were searching for other suspects.
“Deep shock, outrage, and sorrow over the events that occurred this morning in Colima, where my aunt Eugenia Delgado and my cousin Sheila were brutally murdered in their home,” Delgado wrote on X on Saturday.
Officials tracked the suspects’ vehicle to a Colima home on Saturday afternoon and killed three people in a gunfight, according to the prosecutor’s office.
Investigators found weapons and clothing in the suspects’ home linked to the double shooting.
Delgado was appointed education secretary by President Claudia Sheinbaum in 2024. He previously served as national president of the ruling Morena party.