Arsonist attacks mosque in Oldham in the wake of Manchester blast

The Muslim community in Manchester is calling on residents in the city to be careful after the door to the Jamia Qasmia Zahidia Islamic Centre in Oldham was set on fire in the early hours of Tuesday morning, just hours after the horrific attack on Manchester Arena which killed 22 people.

CCTV shows a man walking up to the front door and setting fire to it at around 3am.

Footage shows a man approaching the building and leaving a bottle full of fluid nearby before returning and setting it alight.

The clip shows large flames before the man runs away from the mosque, which is on Villa Roa, Oldham.

No one was hurt in the attack.

The suspect is a white man, wearing light coloured trousers and a light padded jacket. He was carrying a bottle of accelerant and had a BMX bike with him, which will have stood out at this time in the morning.

Det Insp Ian Harratt of GMP’s Oldham Borough, said: “In the wake of the atrocities that happened at the Manchester Arena, this man thought it was acceptable to deface and set fire to a local mosque.

“This behaviour will not be tolerated. We are standing shoulder to shoulder with the community in Oldham and all the people who treasure this mosque as a place of worship.

“We have been working with people in the local community and the council to make sure that people realise there is zero tolerance around vindictive acts of this nature.

“If you recognise the man in the images, or the bike that he used, I’m urging you to please come forward because hate crime will not be tolerated at all in Greater Manchester. Stand up and be counted, you can make a difference in stopping acts like this happening again.”

Anyone with information about this man is asked to contact police on 101, or anonymously via the independent charity Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.