Arsonists target British mosque

2005-07-09 22:02

London - Suspected arsonists set a mosque in northwest England on fire on Saturday, police said, two days after a string of bomb attacks across London killed at least 50 people.

A man living in a flat above the Shahjalal Mosque, which is part of an Islamic centre in Birkenhead, was treated for smoke inhalation but there were no other injuries, police said.

The mosque door was burnt and there was some smoke damage inside, a Merseyside police spokesperson said. He declined to comment on reports that a petrol bomb was used.

"We would like to condemn wholeheartedly the incidents in London and our sympathy goes out to the families and friends of the victims," said mosque chairman Abdul Munim.

"Whoever committed these acts were cowards who indiscriminately killed innocent people.

"What happened here was a dreadful act that could have been far worse had it not been for the fast actions of the police, fire and ambulance services."

Police said they were hunting two men in their early 20s seen in the area just before the incident. The mosque was sealed for a forensic search and police were trawling closed circuit television tapes.

"Merseyside police take very seriously any incidences of this nature, which are rare within the region," said Chief Superintendent Alan Jones.

"This act is both senseless and very dangerous."

- AFP