UK mosque set ablaze with two inside, police launch investigation

Police in southern England are investigating a suspected arson at a mosque in Peacehaven as a "hate crime," days after a deadly attack on a synagogue in Manchester, CNN reports.

Officers were called late Saturday to the mosque on the south coast. No one was injured, but the fire damaged the front entrance and a vehicle parked outside.

Blaze hits mosque while two inside

According to the report, a voluntary mosque manager said two people in balaclavas tried to force open the mosque’s door before pouring gasoline on the steps and setting it alight.

“The chairman and a fellow worshipper could have easily died,” the manager told CNN. “These people came with full intent to cause maximum damage.”

The mosque’s chairman and another volunteer, both in their 60s, were having tea inside when they heard a loud bang and fled the building as flames engulfed the entrance.

Footage from the mosque’s door camera shows the two masked suspects attempting to enter before setting fire to the entrance and the chairman’s car.

Police and local leaders respond

Detective Superintendent Karrie Bohanna of Sussex Police said additional patrols are in place “to provide reassurance at other places of worship across the county.”

Liberal Democrat MP James MacCleary condemned the attack on X, calling it “appalling” and highlighting the mosque’s importance to the local community.

Rising hate crimes

The attack comes days after a synagogue in Manchester was targeted on Thursday, leaving two dead and three seriously injured. Prime Minister Keir Starmer condemned the violence, saying hatred “is rising once again, and Britain must defeat it once again.”