Counter-terrorism officers are investigating
whether a fire which destroyed an Islamic
community centre was started deliberately in a
hate attack. Police confirmed they are treating the fire in
Muswell Hill, north London, as supicious and
promised a "vigorous and thorough
investigation". They also revealed the letters 'EDL' - the initials of
the English Defence League - were found
scrawled on the outside of the Bravanese Centre,
which was being used as a mosque. However, Tommy Robinson, the leader of the EDL,
denied one of the group's supporters was behind
the blaze. He said members have always been told not to
attack mosques or places of worship and claimed
there was a "nationwide campaign" to blacken
the name of the group. Chief Superintendent Adrian Usher, of the
Metropolitan Police, said: "At this stage, we don't
want to rule anything out. We have several lines
of inquiry and we will pursue those and until we
can determine whether a crime has been
committed. "We will then pursue any offenders and bring
them to justice." Boris Johnson, the Mayor of London, said that if
the fire is confirmed as an attack attack, it should
be condemned as "cowardly, pathetic and utterly
pointless". Local MP Theresa Villiers said it would be "not just
an attack on the Muslim community (but) an
attack on all of us and our values." "This looks very much like a hate crime," she said.
"We're very proud in Barnet, the constituency I
represent, of our diverse community and our
cohesion, so I utterly condemn what looks to be a
disgraceful attack." Most of the roof of the two-storey building in
Coppetts Road collapsed in the fire, which broke
out at around 3.15am. A spokesman for London Fire Brigade said it took
35 firefighters nearly an hour and a half to bring
the blaze under control. Daniel McInanny, who lives near the centre,
described hearing a loud bang shortly after 3am. "At first I thought it was the bin men collecting
the rubbish but when I looked out of the
window, I saw an inferno," he said. "The whole
building was alight." Although there is no evidence the fire is linked to
the murder of Drummer Lee Rigby in Woolwich
last month, there has been a significant increase
in reports of attacks against Muslims since his
death. Faith Matters, an organisation that works to
reduce extremism, said 11 mosques were
targeted in the days after the killing, despite an
appeal from the soldier's family for calm. Fiyaz Mughal, a spokesman for the group, said:
"Bearing in mind this is close to Woolwich,
bearing in mind that it houses Islamic activities,
bearing in mind that they have found alleged EDL
graffiti, there's a strong likelihood that this could
be an anti-Muslim incident. "We know that, online, there is a huge amount of
anti-Muslim hate. When it moves into the physical
world, it is extremely concerning." Ch Supt Usher said: "I have spoken to community
leaders and assured them that a thorough
investigation is being conducted. "The safety of our communities is always our
priority and we are consulting widely, offering
our support and reassurance. "All communities can be confident that they have
our support and I can be contacted personally to
answer their concerns." No one was injured in the fire, although a woman
living next door to the centre was treated for
shock by paramedics. Two neighbouring properties were evacuated. :: Anyone with information is asked to contact
Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555111
source: www.yahoo.com/w/legobpengine/news/london-mosque-fire-police-investigate-cause-120333013.html?orig_host_hdr=uk.news.yahoo.com&.intl=GB&.lang=en-GB