Police have released footage of a man trying to set alight a jerry can full of petrol before hurling it into Finsbury Park Mosque in London in an attack detectives have called an “Islamophobic hate crime.”
Officers are hunting him over the attempted arson at the mosque on Friday evening.
The man – a white male wearing a white hooded jumper, blue jeans and white baseball cap – was seen outside the building just before 8.30pm when he approached the mosque with the jerry can hidden in a bag.
Police believe he fled the scene on a moped and have increased patrols in the area while they continue to search for him.
Scotland Yard Detective Sergeant Stuart Smillie said: “Scorch marks were found on clothing wrapped around the jerry can. This was a clear and deliberate attempt to cause arson.
“Although the petrol did not fully ignite, the threat and intent was obvious and the resulting fire could quite easily have endangered anyone inside as well as those living nearby. I would urge anyone who recognises the man in this footage to get in touch.”
Finsbury Park Mosque’s Mohammed Kozbar has called the attack a terrorist crime.
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In a statement he said: “On Friday 27th November after Isha time, someone tried to burn the Mosque by throwing a Molotov bottle, Alhamdulillah it did not explode and no one got hurt and no damage was done, we contacted the police this morning and they have sealed the Mosque and are investigating the incident.
“We have expressed our deepest concerns to the police and hope they will take this attack very seriously. We hope they find out who is behind this grave incident and catch the perpetrators.
“We would like to assure our community in Islington that such crime has no place within our society and we are determined more than ever to promote community cohesion and harmony.”
