Men allegedly doused a mosque’s entrance with flammable liquid and set it on fire last night in an arson attack soon after evening prayers.
Police are treating the fire in East Sussex as a hate crime, with doorbell footage shared online appearing to show men pouring a flammable liquid over the building and a car parked outside.
They allegedly then threw something at the car making it catch light just before 10pm, sparking a fire which damaged the front entrance of the building on Phyllis Avenue in Peaceheaven.
A mosque volunteer said worshippers had only just left after evening prayers, and there were still two people inside at the time.
‘They came in balaclavas and sprayed gasoline on the entrance and the few steps,’ the volunteer said.
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‘They threw something at it and the vehicle blew up. The fire reached the entrance to the mosque.
‘People around phoned the fire brigade straight away.
‘Two people inside the mosque got out as soon as they could.
‘The chairman, who is an elderly man in his 60s, ran out it just before the car was blown to pieces.’
The mosque volunteer said two men escaped with their lives as a massive fireball engulfed the entrance.
‘It’s clearly a targeted attack,’ the volunteer said.
Peacehaven Mosque shared a statement on Instagram saying the mosque would be closed until further notice.
A spokesman for Sussex Police said the fire caused damage to the front entrance of the building and a vehicle parked outside.
‘Fortunately, no one was harmed during the incident, which is being treated as a hate crime,’ the spokesman said.
Detective Superintendent Karrie Bohanna said: ‘We understand the concerns this has caused within the community, and the impact that will be felt by the Muslim community as a result.
‘There is already an increased police presence at the scene and there are also additional patrols taking place to provide reassurance at other places of worship across the county.
‘Sussex Police takes a zero-tolerance approach to hate crime and there is no place for hate across the county.’
Describing it as a ‘fast-moving investigation’, she appealed for anyone with information or footage captured on CCTV, dashcam, doorbell or mobile phone to contact the police.
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