Edinburgh mosque fire attack being investigated as a hate crime

A mosque in Scotland's capital has been damaged by fire in an incident police are treating as a hate crime.

Edinburgh Central Mosque, in Potterow, sustained minor fire damage to the door and a small bush in the garden after an object was thrown at the building at about 2.10am on Sunday.

Detective Inspector John Kavanagh said: "Fortunately, no-one was injured as a result of this incident but the consequences could have been far worse had the fire taken hold and spread.

"I would ask that anyone who remembers seeing any suspicious activity around the mosque, or within the Potterrow area, contacts police immediately."

Chief Inspector Mark Rennie, local area commander for south east Edinburgh, said: "This was a despicable and reckless act which we are treating as a hate crime.

"We have launched a thorough investigation to identify anyone involved and anyone who believes they have information that can assist with our inquiries is urged to get in touch."

Earlier this month, the National Police Chiefs’ Council released figures showing that in the week following the vote to leave the EU the number of incidents rose by 58 per cent.

By the end of July this fell to a 49 per cent rise compared to the same point in 2015 with the organisation said the number of reports was starting to going down.

The figures for the two weeks between 5 and 18 August show 2,778 recorded hate crime incidents across the country.

This was a decline of 479 incidents compared to the previous week, but still a 14 per cent increase on this time last year.

Nick Ryan, the spokesman for anti-racism campaign group Hope Not Hate told The Independent: "While we welcome any drop in hate crime figures, the number of incidents still remains on a year-on-year high.

"For a few people, the Brexit decision was a chance to vent deep-seated hatred of others: this is completely deplorable and perpetrators need to face the full force of the law.

It comes after a Polish man was murdered in what Essex Police are treating as a hate crime incident outside a pub in Harlow on 31 August. 

Six teenagers have been arrested following the unprovoked attack and local residents staged a march through the town waving Polish flags in tribute on Saturday.

Victims and those feeling vulnerable have been asked to report any incident of hate crime to the police on 101 or using our True Vision website (www.report-it.org.uk). In an emergency, always dial 999.