Grimsby Mosque
A picture of the Grimsby Islamic Cultural Centre, where the attack took place.

Two men have been arrested after a suspected arson attack on a mosque in Grimsby, as the backlash continues against soldier Lee Rigby's murder at the hands of suspected Islamic terrorists.

Police confirmed the arrests after the Grimsby Islamic Cultural Centre was allegedly attacked with petrol bombs on the evening of Sunday 26 May.

According to Humberside police, a fire broke out at the mosque shortly before 10pm, but no one was injured.

The chairman of the mosque, Diler Gharib, was inside the building at the time of the attack. He told the Grimsby Telegraph:

"We had just finished our prayers and were discussing how to thank our neighbours for the support they have shown us over the past few days when we heard a bang and saw fire coming under the door.

"I grabbed a fire extinguisher and put it out and then two more petrol bombs hit the fire escape and the bin so I had to put those out too."

The mosque has been subject to an increased police presence after a gang of youths attempted to attack it on 23 May, the day after Rigby's murder.

Gharib was quick to repudiate the beliefs of the two men who murdered Rigby last week, saying they had nothing to do with Islam. He continued:

"We have all been feeling on edge and now this has happened. It's not just the people at the mosque we are worried about, it's our wives, daughters and children who are out in the community."

Austin Mitchell, MP for Great Grimsby, said the 'terrorists' were the only ones who would benefit from the mosque attack. He told BBC Radio Humberside: "It's sheer, simple stupidity.

"I'm appalled and shocked. I didn't expect this in Grimsby. These idiots, whoever they are, are playing directly into the hand of the terrorists."

Backlash

The attack on the Grimsby mosque is the latest act of vandalism inflicted upon muslim buildings since Rigby was murdered in Woolwich.

On the evening of the murder, two men were arrested for separate attacks on mosques in Braintree, Essex and Gillingham, Kent.

In Gillingham, a man ran into the local mosque and started smashing windows and bookcases. Meanwhile in Braintree, it is alleged that a man attacked the Islamic place of worship with a knife and explosive device, believed to be a grenade or gas cannister.

In Walsall, west Midlands, two men have been arrested after a group of 20 people, believed to be EDL members, held a demonstration in the town centre on the evening of Saturday 25 May.

The men were charged with racially aggravated public order offences, and will appear before magistrates on 18 June.