MAN ARRESTED OVER SUSPECTED ARSON ATTACK ON PEACEHAVEN MOSQUE

Tue 07 October 2025:

A man has been arrested following an arson attack on a mosque in East Sussex on suspicion of arson with intent to endanger life.

Sussex Police have said that a 46-year-old man is now in custody following an arrest made on Monday afternoon.

At 9.50pm on Saturday 4 October, emergency services were called to a fire at Peacehaven Mosque on Phyllis Avenue, Sussex.

Two men were caught on CCTV trying to break into the building, attempting to kick down the door three times, according to mosque trustee Muhammad Khan.

After failing to kick down the door, which was cautiously locked by worshippers inside to avoid attacks of this kind, the men doused petrol around the entrance and on multiple vehicles on the premises.

After failing to get inside the mosque, they poured petrol around the entrance and under the door, trying to set it on fire.

No one was injured, but the front entrance and a car outside were damaged, according to police.

CCTV security camera footage of the mosque showing the flames engulfing the entrance.

Detective Chief Inspector Mark Cullimore from Surrey and Sussex Major Crime Team said that the “investigation is progressing at a pace” and officers were “pursuing all lines of enquiry to identify those responsible for this appalling and reckless attack”.

The incident, which has come during a surge of Islamophobic attacks across the UK in the past few months, is being investigated as a hate crime, says Sussex Police.

__________________________________________________________________________

https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029VaAtNxX8fewmiFmN7N22

__________________________________________________________________________

Two worshippers who remained inside the mosque after the Isha prayer were inside at the time of the attack but managed to escape, having to jump over the flames.

Muhammad Khan, a trustee at Peacehaven Mosque, told 5Pillars that he believes the attack could potentially be classified as something far more serious than just arson.

CCTV footage of the suspected attacker.

“Police have classified this as an arson attack and a hate crime; we think it could be much more than that, given the ambulances outside and the kind of thing people were looking to initiate,” Khan told 5Pillars.

“We’ve gone a bit light on the touch in what was going to be a much more massive, bigger event”, Khan said as he was describing the series of events in the attack.

Khan also said that the “small” Muslim community in Peacehaven was “deeply, deeply disturbed”, adding that “for this to happen to us is absolutely catastrophic”.

Peacehaven Mosque trustee Muhammad Khan speaking to 5 Pillars outside the mosque the day after the attack. (by Robert Carter / 5 Pillars)

The mosque was closed to both worshippers and children shortly after the attack but is now back open for male worshippers during the five daily prayer times.

The children’s and women’s sections remain closed until the safety and security of the community can be guaranteed.

Supt Rachel Swiney from Sussex Police said there were “additional patrols taking place at places of worship across Sussex to provide visibility and reassurance”.

A spokesperson on behalf of Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer called the incident “appalling” and said that an attack on Muslims was an attack on all Britons.

The mosque has set up a fundraiser to help the community rebuild it following the fire, which has currently raised over £25,000 at the time of this article.

This article is republished from 5Pillars. Read the original article.

By: Alen Basic