A man is alleged to have attempted to set fire to a Muslim home in Longsight, Manchester, in the early hours of Saturday by using a bin filled with flammable materials.
Witnesses described the incident as an “Islamophobic-inspired” hate crime.
The suspect, who police have not named, was visiting his brother at a house neighbouring a Muslim family, 5Pillars understands.
Eyewitnesses told us that at approximately 12:20 am, shouting was heard as the man approached the Muslim family’s home. The man reportedly gathered pieces of wood and a broken desk, igniting them alongside a bin trolley with the intent to inflict serious harm.
The man is later alleged to have confessed to wanting to “spread the fire more quickly.”
When confronted, he is alleged to have claimed that he “hates how these Islamic people always try to convert him to Islam.” He further claimed to have schizophrenia as well as mental health problems.
Community members quickly alerted fire services and attempted to extinguish the flames with water bottles. The suspect was shortly afterwards taken into custody.
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Greater Manchester Police, said: “We were called at 12.24am on Saturday 28 September to reports of a fire on Duncan Road, Longsight. Officers and other emergency services attended and put out the fire. One man was arrested on suspicion of arson.
“If you have any information, please call police on 101 quoting log 82 of 28/09/24. Alternatively, if you would prefer to remain anonymous, contact the independent charity Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.”
According to local residents: “If the fire hadn’t been spotted earlier, the family’s lives would have been at serious risk.”
Despite no injuries, the young family, who wish to remain anonymous, described feeling “extremely unsettled, unsafe, and unwelcome” in their own home.
We understand the suspect’s brother later apologised for the assailant’s actions.
But a local community member told 5Pillars that the damage had been done and that “little kids will be growing up traumatised in their own neighbourhoods.”
This incident comes amid a troubling rise in Islamophobia across the UK, following the summer’s far-right riots targeting British Muslims.
According to the most recent Home Office statistics, there were nearly 3,500 hate crimes perpetrated against Muslims in England and Wales last year, accounting for 39% of all hate crimes.
The Home Office recorded 3,452 attacks against Muslims in the year ending March 2023.
