Finsbury Park mosque arson attack: Police release CCTV footage of male suspect
Footage shows the white man attempting to set a jerrycan of petrol alight before hurling it into the mosque compound
Police have released CCTV footage of a man suspected of an attempted Islamophobic arson attack on a mosque in Finsbury Park, London.
The footage shows the white man attempting to set a jerrycan of petrol alight before hurling it into the mosque compound late on 27 November. The man, who was wearing a white hooded top, white baseball cap and jeans, then fled on a moped.
Staff discovered the can, which did not ignite, when they opened up the mosque on Saturday morning. Police are treating the incident as a hate crime.
The Metropolitan Police urged anyone who recognises the man in the footage to get in touch. A spokesman said “high visibility patrols” were operating in the area following the incident.
The mosque’s chairman, Mohammed Kozbar, told The Independent: “This was a barrel not a bottle. Whoever threw it was determined to cause huge destruction. Luckily it was raining so it didn’t explode.” The mosque had received a threatening letter the week before, he added, but he did not know if it was linked to the attack.