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lite.cnn.com - on gopher - inofficial
ARTICLE VIEW:
UK mosque set ablaze with two people inside, police investigating
suspected hate crime
By Laura Sharman, Ally Barnard, CNN
Updated:
3:45 PM EDT, Mon October 6, 2025
Source: CNN
A UK mosque was set ablaze with two people still inside in a suspected
arson attack that police are treating as a hate crime.
One man has so far been arrested on suspicion of arson “with intent
to endanger life” in connection with the incident, according to
Sussex Police.
It is the latest violent incident to be reported in a politically
charged British summer, during which incidents of Islamophobic and
antisemitic hate have remained high, and comes just days after a deadly
attack outside a synagogue in Manchester.
Two people in balaclavas tried to force the mosque’s door open on
Saturday night before pouring gasoline onto the steps and setting it
alight, a voluntary mosque manager who asked not to be named told CNN.
Emergency crews rushed to the mosque in Peacehaven, near Brighton on
the country’s south coast, shortly before 10 p.m. local time.
The mosque’s chairman and a fellow worshipper, both in their 60s,
were having tea inside when they heard a loud bang outside and fled the
building as flames curled across the main entrance, according to the
mosque manager.
It is not known if the suspected arsonists knew people were inside at
the time.
“They could have easily died,” the manager told CNN, saying
“these people came with full intent to cause maximum damage.”
“The chairman was shaking the whole time, and a neighbor came out
onto the street crying,” he said.
“Everyone is scared. If someone was willing to do this, we don’t
know what’s next.”
The small mosque, opened four years ago, serves 10 to 15 worshippers
who had gathered for evening prayers at 8:15 p.m. local time.
After the mosque closed, the chairman stayed behind with another
volunteer for a cup of tea.
“They are old chaps in their 60s and usually do that. The mosque is
usually a very friendly and relaxed environment,” the manager said.
Footage from the mosque’s door camera shows two people in balaclavas
arriving at the entrance a short time later, pulling the door handle
and pushing the door several times, the manager said.
“Then we saw them pouring gasoline all over the floor and the door of
the mosque and the chairman’s car outside.”
Sussex Police are treating the incident as arson with intent to
endanger life and said the impact will “be felt by the Muslim
community” of the small coastal town.
“Fortunately those inside at the time were not injured but
significant damage was caused to the mosque and a nearby vehicle,”
the force said in a statement.
The mosque’s chairman works a taxi driver and relied on the car as
his livelihood, according to the manager. “Unfortunately, just a
shell of his vehicle is left,” he added.
Detectives on Sunday appealed for information on the two people seen in
the footage, which showed one person wearing a “distinctive black
jacket with a Pre London logo” and the second wearing “red
gloves.”
“We believe there are people in the community who know who these two
are,” Detective Inspector Gavin Patch said.
In an update published Monday, Sussex Police confirmed that a
46-year-old man had been arrested on suspicion of arson with intent to
endanger life, adding that their investigation was “progressing at
pace.”
Liberal Democrat MP for Lewes district, James MacCleary, condemned the
incident on X.
“Appalling to hear about this fire at the mosque in Peacehaven. It is
used by my constituents and is an important part of the local
community. Police are treating it as a hate crime,” he wrote.
Last August, the mosque was targeted twice overnight with eggs thrown
at the building and people have shouted curse words and racial slurs
when passing by, the manager said.
“But we never expected an attack on this level,” he added. “The
community right now is on their toes. They feel unsafe, they are
paranoid. There is a lot going on right now.”
An increased police presence is in place at the scene with additional
patrols “to provide reassurance at other places of worship across the
county,” Detective Superintendent Karrie Bohanna, from Sussex Police,
said.
On Thursday, two Jewish worshippers were killed in a car ramming and
stabbing attack outside a synagogue in the English city of Manchester
on Yom Kippur, the holiest day in Judaism.
Britain’s Prime Minister Keir Starmer condemned that attack, and
warned that hatred “is rising once again, and Britain must defeat it
once again.”
This story has been updated with additional information.
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