Images from the scene show a burnt-out car and fire-damaged building
Police are treating a fire which damaged a mosque as a hate crime. The front entrance to the mosque in Peacehaven, East Sussex, was damaged along with a vehicle parked outside.
Sussex Police said in a statement they were called to reports of an arson attack in Phyllis Avenue just before 10pm on Saturday. They confirmed the incident, in which no one was injured, was being treated as a hate crime.
Images and footage being shared online appear to show a burnt-out car at the entrance to the mosque. Detective superintendent Karrie Bohanna said: âWe understand the concerns this has caused within the community, and the impact that will be felt by the Muslim community as a result.
âThere is already an increased police presence at the scene and there are also additional patrols taking place to provide reassurance at other places of worship across the county.
âSussex Police takes a zero-tolerance approach to hate crime and there is no place for hate across the county.â
Describing it as a âfast-moving investigationâ, she appealed for anyone with information or footage captured on CCTV, dashcam, doorbell or mobile phone to contact the police.
