Mohammed Rayaz, 70, was attacked walking home from a mosque in Birmingham this week. Photo: Family handout
Police in the UK have charged a man with two counts of attempted murder after two elderly men were set alight after they left mosques in two different cities, three weeks apart.West Midlands Police named the suspect on Thursday as Mohammed Abbkr, a 28-year-old from Birmingham. He’s alleged to have carried out separate attacks against two victims in London and Birmingham: first following them home from the mosque, spraying a substance over them, then setting them alight.An 82-year-old man, named as Hashi Odowa, was attacked on the 27th of February as he left the West London Islamic Centre in the borough of Ealing. Police said the suspect engaged his victim in conversation, before allegedly spraying him with a liquid, believed to be petrol, setting him on fire, and walking away. His victim needed hospital treatment for severe burns to his face and arms.The second attack was committed on Monday the 20th of March, when 70-year-old Mohammed Rayaz was walking home from Dudley Road mosque in Birmingham at about 7PM.A spokesperson for Rayaz’s family, Shahbon Hussain, told Sky News that the attack had left him with “horrific” and life-changing injuries, including severe burns to his hands and face for which he was still receiving treatment in hospital. He remained in a serious but stable condition, according to the family.Police said that counter-terrorism officers were involved in the investigation, along with officers from the West Midlands and London’s Metropolitan Police forces, but that they could not speculate on a motive for the attacks. Police are appealing for any witnesses with footage of the attacks to come forward.The Birmingham MP Shabana Mahmood said the local community had been left reeling from the incident on Monday and a “sense of shock and horror is going to linger for some time to come”.In a statement on Thursday morning, West Midlands police said: “This was a joint investigation between West Midlands police, counter-terrorism policing and the Metropolitan police.Mahmood, the Labour MP for the constituency of Birmingham Ladywood, said she had known Rayaz’s family for many years. The attack on “one of our elders” was “a truly shocking incident that has rocked our community,” she said in a statement. “Understandably, everyone in the community has been horrified and are incredibly concerned.”Abbkr appeared at Coventry Magistrates Court on Thursday where he was remanded in custody until a further heading on the 20th of April.
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