Birmingham and Ealing attacks linked

A man arrested on suspicion of attempted murder after a man was set alight as he was walking home from a mosque in Edgbaston Birmingham has been linked to a similar incident in Ealing, London in February.

Mohammed Abbkr, aged 28 from Edgbaston in Birmingham has now been arrested on suspicion of two counts of attempted murder.

He has been remanded to appear at Coventry Magistrates Court on Thursday morning.

The Birmingham victim was walking home from Dudley Road mosque, when he was attacked, just after 7pm on Monday.

The attacker spoke to the man, then sprayed him with a substance and set fire to his jacket.

The victim was taken to hospital with serious injuries which are not believed to be life-threatening.

West Midlands Police are leading the investigation and are working with detectives from the Met's West Area Command.

Chief Superintendent Sean Wilson, of the Met’s West Area Command, said: “We completely understand the shock that resonated throughout the community following this incident.

“Despite a man having been arrested, we continue to be vigilant and urge local people to do the same. Highly visible patrols around Singapore Road will continue in the coming days to provide reassurance to local people and I urge anyone who is concerned to approach officers.”

Counter Terrorism Policing are also supporting the investigations, though the motive is not yet known.

Image: Elliott Brown from Birmingham, United Kingdom, CC BY-SA 2.0 , via Wikimedia Commons