London. UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer on Monday condemned a suspected arson attack on a mosque in an English coastal town, which police are investigating as a hate crime. No one was injured.

The fire on Saturday night came two days after two men were killed when a knife-wielding assailant attacked their synagogue in Manchester on the holiest day of the Jewish year, in what authorities have described as a terrorist assault. One of the victims was accidentally shot by an armed officer as he and other congregants barricaded the synagogue to block the attacker from entering.

Starmer’s spokesperson said the prime minister was “appalled by the arson attack in Peacehaven.”

“As the home secretary said, attacks against Britain’s Muslims are attacks against all Britons and this country itself,” the spokesperson said, adding that “anti-Muslim hatred has no place in Britain.”

Emergency services responded to reports of a fire at Peacehaven Mosque at around 9:45 p.m. (2245 GMT) on Saturday. The front entrance of the mosque and a vehicle parked outside were damaged, but no one was injured, according to Sussex Police.

Footage from the incident, released Sunday by police, shows two people wearing balaclavas approaching the front door of the mosque, spraying accelerant on the entrance, and igniting a fire.

Detective Inspector Gavin Patch said police were treating the fire as arson with intent to endanger life. Evidence from the scene indicated it was started deliberately, according to the East Sussex Fire and Rescue Service. Detectives were still hunting for two suspects on Monday.

“This was an appalling and reckless attack which we know will have left many people feeling less safe,” Patch said.

There has been an increased police presence at the scene and at other places of worship across Sussex, a region in southeastern England, to provide reassurance, Sussex Police said. The incident is not currently being treated as terror-related.

Political and religious leaders across the UK condemned the attack.

Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood called the incident “deeply concerning” and urged people to “stand united.”

“This hateful act does not represent our community or our town,” a spokesperson for Peacehaven Mosque said. “Peacehaven has always been a place of kindness, respect, and mutual support, and we will continue to embody those values.”

Phil Rosenberg, president of the Board of Deputies of British Jews, also condemned the attack, saying that “every faith community has the right to worship free from fear.”

The attacks come amid heightened tensions over the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza. Pro-Palestinian demonstrations have been held regularly across the UK since the start of Israel’s military offensive, most of them peaceful, though some have drawn criticism for antisemitic chants and expressions of support for Hamas, which is banned in the UK.

On Saturday, about 1,000 people gathered in Trafalgar Square to protest against the banning of Palestine Action, a direct action group that has vandalised British military planes and targeted sites linked to the Israeli military. The government has designated the group as a terrorist organisation, making support for it illegal.

A day later, hundreds waving Israeli and British flags rallied in London and Manchester to mark nearly two years since the Hamas-led attack on southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, to demand the release of hostages and to mourn the victims of Thursday’s synagogue attack.

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