House blaze in London ‘may have been antisemitic hate crime’
A fire which ripped through three floors of a home in Hackney, East London, could have been an antisemitic hate crime.
A man in his 60s was arrested near the scene in Hackney after he made threatening and ‘allegedly antisemitic’ comments, Metropolitan Police said.
Eight fire engines and roughly 60 firefighters helped to battle the blaze, which broke out yesterday around noon.
Det Ch Supt James Conway said: ‘Undoubtedly this will be extremely concerning news for our Jewish communities in Hackney and beyond, and I and my officers will be engaging with partners including the Community Safety Trust and the Shomrim to answer their questions and listen to their views.
‘Whilst the investigation will continue to explore the motivation for this offence, we believe at this stage that this was centred on a localised housing-related issue.
‘We have no indication, at this very early stage, that the motivation was connected with any specific local or global events.’
Met Police are investigating.
Hate crimes against both Muslim and Jewish communities have risen exponentially since the war broke out in Israel.
In December, two Jewish women were targeted by muggers minutes before a young Orthodox woman was ‘beaten unconscious’ in a suspected hate crime.
Sickening footage showed the 20-year-old victim being knocked to the ground and kicked while lying defenceless on Rostrevor Avenue in Haringey, north London, last Thursday.
And a man was arrested in November over a series of Islamophobic incidents at mosques and businesses across west London and the Palestinian Mission in Hammersmith.
This is a developing news story, more to follow soon… Check back shortly for further updates.
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