Petrol Bomb Thrown At Islamic Centre

24 May 2013, 14:35 | Updated: 24 May 2013, 16:39

A petrol bomb has been thrown at an Islamic centre in Bletchley.

Thames Thames Valley Police is appealing for witnesses following the attack last night.

The police say at around 11.30pm, a bottle containing flammable liquid was set alight and thrown onto the roof of the Zainabia Islamic Centre, commonly known as the Granby Mosque in Peverel Drive, Bletchley.

Members of the mosque were standing outside and quickly extinguished the fire and there was no significant damage caused.

Det Insp Nick Glister, leading the investigation, said: "I would like to thank all the people who assisted us last night at the mosque and appeal to anyone who has information about this incident to contact us .There were people inside the mosque at the time of the incident and this could have been far worse had it not been for the quick actions of the people who were standing outside the mosque at the time."

Local Police Area Commander Barry Halliday said: 

"This is an extremely disgraceful and cowardly act which I condemn in the strongest possible terms. We have a multicultural and diverse community in Milton Keynes, who live and work together side by side, and we will not let a few misguided people divide us. I would like to ask the local community to remain vigilant and report any suspicious activity to the police right away by calling 101. Anyone with information about this incident should also call us and they will be dealt with the strictest of confidentiality. I would like reassure the community that we will do all we can to find the offenders and our neighbourhood teams will continue to patrol the area, so if anyone has any concerns they can speak to one of the officers."

Councillor Peter Geary, Cabinet Member for Communities at Milton Keynes Council said:

"I am appalled by this incident, and am sure every resident in Milton Keynes will be appalled by this. One of Milton Keynes' great strengths is the partnerships we've built across communities, and I urge local people to build on these strong relationships in response to this pointless and cowardly act. We will continue to provide support to the police, partners and the whole community"

Shabir Sabur, President of Zainabia Islamic Centre, said: 

"Such acts committed by individuals or groups can never divide the nation. These criminals and terrorists must never be allowed to win, with all our communities and the nation united in our determination to fight off all forms of criminal and extreme behaviour and hate crimes, from whichever quarter it comes from."