Man has been charged with two counts of attempted murder
Picture: West London Islamic Centre
March 23, 2023
The police have now confirmed that they believe there is a link between two incidents in Ealing and Birmingham in which a victim was set on fire after leaving a mosque.
Detectives in Birmingham arrested a man on Tuesday 21 March after another man was set on fire the previous day.
He has now been named as 28-year-old Mohammed Abbkr, 28, from Edgbaston in Birmingham and was charged on Thursday, 23 March with two counts of attempted murder following incidents near mosques in London and Birmingham.
He is due to appear in custody at Coventry Magistrates' Court.
West Midlands Police has been conducting joint enquiries with the Met which has resulted in the conclusion that the attack in Birmingham was linked to a similar attack on an 82-year-old man near the West London Islamic Centre on Singapore Road, West Ealing at around 8pm on Monday, 27 February.
The man detained is being questioned over both incidents in which the victim was engaged in conversation before being doused in a substance believed to be petrol and then set alight. In both cases the victim suffered serious but not life-changing burns.
Chief Superintendent Sean Wilson, of the Met’s West Area Command, said, “We completely understand the shock that resonated throughout the community following this incident.
“Despite a man having been arrested, we continue to be vigilant and urge local people to do the same. Highly visible patrols around Singapore Road will continue in the coming days to provide reassurance to local people and I urge anyone who is concerned to approach officers.”
Counter Terrorism Policing are supporting the investigations. However, at this stage, officers are keeping an open mind as to any potential motivation.
Anyone with information who has not yet spoken with police should call 101 quoting CAD 6422/27Feb. Alternatively, you can contact the independent charity Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111. In an emergency always call 999.
Value Reading Articles Like This? Help Us Produce More This site remains committed to providing local community news and public interest journalism. Articles such as the one above are integral to what we do. We aim to feature as much as possible on local societies, charities based in the area, fundraising efforts by residents, community-based initiatives and even helping people find missing pets. We've always done that and won't be changing, in fact we'd like to do more. However, the readership that these stories generates is often below that needed to cover the cost of producing them. Our financial resources are limited and the local media environment is intensely competitive so there is a constraint on what we can do. We are therefore asking our readers to consider offering financial support to these efforts. Any money given will help support community and public interest news and the expansion of our coverage in this area. A suggested monthly payment is £8 but we would be grateful for any amount for instance if you think this site offers the equivalent value of a subscription to a daily printed newspaper you may wish to consider £20 per month. If neither of these amounts is suitable for you then contact info@neighbournet.com and we can set up an alternative. All payments are made through a secure web site. One-off donations are also appreciated. Choose The Amount You Wish To Contribute. If you do support us in this way we'd be interested to hear what kind of articles you would like to see more of on the site – send your suggestions to the editor. For businesses we offer the chance to be a corporate sponsor of community content on the site. For £30 plus VAT per month you will be the designated sponsor of at least one article a month with your logo appearing if supplied. If there is a specific community group or initiative you'd like to support we can make sure your sponsorship is featured on related content for a one off payment of £50 plus VAT. All payments are made through a secure web site. |
