A man identified as Mohammed Abbkr has appeared in court on attempted murder charges for setting men on fire outside mosques in London and Birmingham.
The most recent of the two attacks took place on Monday evening after the victim left the Dudley Road Mosque in Birmingham. Seventy-year-old Mohammed Rayaz was approached by another man, now alleged to be 28-year-old Abbkr, who sprayed him with an inflammable substance and set him on fire.
“For 35 years he’s been going to that mosque to pray and there’s never been a problem,” said a nephew of the Birmingham victim close to the time of the attack.
“Suddenly this happens. His hair, beard and eyebrows are badly burnt. We’re praying he’s OK.”
Mr Rayaz’s family say he is still in hospital following a skin graft operation, in a serious but stable condition.
#CHARGED | A man has been charged with two counts of attempted murder following incidents in Birmingham and London in the last month.
Mohammed Abbkr, aged 28, was remanded to appear at Coventry Magistrates Court this morning (23 March).
Full story: https://t.co/IgJA9gpkcf pic.twitter.com/YUdNqizzN6
— West Midlands Police (@WMPolice) March 23, 2023
The first attack, meanwhile, took place on February 27th in London’s Ealing area, and saw an 82-year-old set on fire, also after being sprayed with an inflammable substance.
The octogenarian, who has not been officially identified but has been named locally as a Mr Hashi, according to the BBC, reportedly suffered severe burns on his face and his arms, although he is now convalescing at his home.
West Midlands Police were initially tight-lipped as to the possible motivation behind the attack, but have revealed that “a joint investigation between West Midlands Police, Counter Terrorism Policing and the Metropolitan Police” was conducted before charges were laid against Abbkr.
So far, however, terrorism charges do not appear to figure into the case against him.
Follow Chris Tomlinson on Twitter at @TomlinsonCJ or email at ctomlinson(at)breitbart.com.