A mosque chairman has described how he was inside an Islamic cultural centre with a young family when it was hit by petrol bombs.
We are also worried about our wives, daughters and children out in the community
The Grimsby Islamic Cultural Centre was targeted by arsonists late on Sunday night, despite an increased police presence in the area following another attack on the complex three days ago.
Humberside Police said a fire was started at the centre on Weelsby Road. No one was injured. Two people were quickly arrested by officers who were patrolling in the area.
Mosque chairman Diler Gharib told the Grimsby Telegraph: “We had just finished our prayers and were discussing how to thank our neighbours for the support they have shown us over the past few days when we heard a bang and saw fire coming under the door.
“I grabbed a fire extinguisher and put it out and then two more petrol bombs hit the fire escape and the bin so I had to put those out too.”
Mr Gharib said police had been monitoring the mosque after it was targeted by youths last week and officers were able to quickly apprehend two suspects.
He said the murder of Drummer Lee Rigby in Woolwich was a criminal act that had nothing to do with the Muslim faith.
He said: “We have all been feeling on edge and now this has happened. It’s not just the people at the mosque we are worried about, it’s our wives, daughters and children who are out in the community.”
The Islamic centre in Grimsby is part of a complex that includes a mosque that was targeted by youths last week.
Eleven teenagers were arrested after that incident, which happened after a party spiralled out of control, police said. The 16 and 17-year-olds were arrested on Thursday.
Following Sunday night’s incident, Great Grimsby MP Austin Mitchell said attacks on mosques and other Islamic institutions were playing into the hands of terrorists who wanted com-munity conflict.
Meanwhile, in the Black Country, two men have been charged with racially aggravated public order offences following a protest over the weekend.
A 22-year-old man from Walsall and a 28-year-old from Wolverhampton will appear before magistrates on June 18 after an EDL protest in Walsall town centre on Saturday afternoon, a West Midlands Police spokeswoman said.
It is believed the protesters were demonstrating over the killing of Drummer Lee Rigby.
Later, Chief Superintendent Tony Forbes, of Humberside Police, said: “The immediate response by officers, to both incidents at the mosque on Weelsby Road in Grimsby lead to a number of arrests being made quickly and investigations are underway by detectives from Grimsby police station.”
A force spokeswoman said the people arrested following Sunday’s incident were men aged 33 and 37.
Both remain in police custody at Grimsby police station.