LONDON: Police said on Sunday they were investigating a suspected arson at a mosque in southern England as a “hate crime,” days after a fatal attack on a synagogue.
Officers were called to the incident at the mosque in the southern coast town of Peacehaven late on Saturday.
While no one was injured, the blaze caused damage to the mosque’s front entrance and a vehicle parked outside.
In the wake of the attack, Sussex Police shared images of two masked men dressed in dark clothing, and appealed for help from the public to identify them.
Detective Inspector Gavin Patch branded the fire an “appalling and reckless attack which we know will have left many people feeling less safe.”
“We are treating this as an arson with intent to endanger life and are continuing to pursue a number of lines of enquiry to identify those responsible,” said Patch.
The fire follows an attack Thursday on a synagogue in the northern city of Manchester in which two people died and three others were seriously injured, with officers drawing a potential link to Islamist extremism.
A spokesperson for the Peacehaven mosque said “we are profoundly grateful that no-one was injured,” calling for “everyone to reject division and respond to hate with unity and compassion.”
“This hateful act does not represent our community or our town,” the spokesperson added.
Interior minister Shabana Mahmood called the attack “deeply concerning.”
“Attacks against Britain’s Muslims are attacks against all Britons and this country itself,” added Mahmood on social media.
Phil Rosenberg, president of the Board of Deputies of British Jews, also condemned the mosque fire, appealing for greater solidarity.
“Every faith community has the right to worship free from fear. Our country is better than this,” Rosenberg said.
“Over recent weeks there has been a lot of focus on how we have become a divided kingdom. But we are the United Kingdom. And we need to move forward against hate together.”