A male suspect has been taken into custody after a mosque in Co Down was assaulted during the weekend, according to an announcement made by the Northern Ireland Police Service (PSNI). The religious institution in Newtownards was targeted in the early hours of Saturday with a petrol bomb and defaced with graffiti on its front door and building walls.
Following a two-property search in the town on Sunday, the 42-year-old man was apprehended on allegations of multiple crimes including attempted arson, possession of a petrol bomb and attempted threat. The PSNI has confirmed that the petrol bomb did not catch fire and made a public appeal for more details regarding the incident. They have urged individuals with any supplementary evidence or video footage that might aid their ongoing investigation to get in contact.
Both the First Minister and Deputy First Minister of Northern Ireland condemned the attack and the ensuing violence in Derry, where 10 officers were wounded. Instances of fireworks, petrol bombs and other projectiles being launched towards police by youngsters were reported at Nailors Row in the city, causing some residents to evacuate their homes due to the violence.
Both Michelle O’Neill and Emma Little-Pengelly deemed the occurrences as “incorrect, intolerable and denounced” by the overwhelming majority of the population. In a collective statement, they declared, “These are heinous displays of lawbreaking and bear no justification.”
PSNI Chief Constable Jon Boutcher has condemned the “abhorrent actions” that have unfolded across Northern Ireland in recent days.