Man arrested after arson attack on Maida Vale Islamic centre

A man has been arrested following an arson attack on an Islamic centre in Maida Vale.

At around 00:15hrs on Tuesday, 3 February, police attended the Islamic Centre of England with the London Fire Brigade following reports of a fire.

Enquiries are ongoing, but it is believed that two flammable objects were thrown into the grounds, causing fire damage to a cabin and parked vehicle. The suspect then left the scene in a car.

The centre was not damaged, and nobody was injured. The fires went out by themselves before responders arrived.

An investigation was immediately launched and shortly after midday – less than 12 hours after the incident – officers arrested a 47-year-old man on suspicion of arson with intent to endanger life.

The man was taken into custody, where he remains.

A Met Police spokesperson said: “The Islamic Centre has previously been the site of protest and altercations between groups who support and are opposed to the regime in Iran.

“Tensions between those groups were already heightened given events in Iran in recent weeks, and we understand that this incident will be the cause of further community concern.

“We would urge everyone to remain calm, to allow officers to do their job through the investigation, and to avoid any sort of escalation.”

Anybody who witnessed the incident – or who has information – is urged to call 101, quoting crime reference 0069/03FEB