Brussels mosque arson kills one
Police officials at the scene "confirmed it was the imam" who died when a firebomb was thrown into the Shiite mosque, police spokeswoman Marie Verbeke said.
The imam, who succumbed to the fumes in the burnt-out place of worship, was with a second person, who was lightly injured, at the time of the attack.
"A suspect was taken into custody at the scene," Verbeke added.
A witness saw the suspect, a man, set fire to the building, Verbeke said, but no other details were immediately available.
Anderlecht Mayor Vincent Van Goidsenhoven said the suspect threw a Molotov cocktail at the mosque, Belga news agency reported.
"The mosque was apparently almost entirely burned down," Verbeke said.
Belgian public broadcasters RTBF and a stream of Twitter users said that a group of at least 50 people had gathered outside the Shiite mosque.
Police said they received a call at 6:45 pm (1745 GMT) and the body was pulled out 45 minutes later.
The area around the mosque, near Belgium's main international railway hub, has a large immigrant Muslim population.
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@Freeman: In Gujarat 1000 people died of whom 300 were Hindus. It was a riot not a genocide. In Kashmir, armed forces intervened only in 1990, when terrorists started coming in (and you know from where). Secondly, Kashmir's human rights record is far better than Balochistan's. I think you are crying crocodile tears over Kashmir. Secondly, Pakistan constitutionally discriminates against non-muslims by giving Islam a special privilege over other religions. Therefore, while minority population has increased in India, in Pak it has gone down.
@Mumbai Dude: Hindu killed 2000 Muslim in Gujrat and raped 100s of muslim women there. Nobody was arrested as Chief Minister Modi was directly involved in this Massacre.
Kashmire where india does not allow international Media is a land of killing where indian 6 million Terrorist army is killing young muslims and also raping muslim girls but on this on this forum Indian Hindu's extremeist are crying with Crocodiles tears.
Lots of Unknown Graves found in Kashmir but there is no action agaisnt Indian Terrorist army.
Really the act of terror for european muslims.
Azzedine Laghmich, an official at the mosque, told AFP the attacker was "a Salafist," who sprayed petrol inside the mosque before setting it alight and shouting Sunni slogans on his way out -- cries related to the conflict in Syria.
"All the eyewitness accounts said so," Laghmich added.
Isabelle Praile, another senior official in Belgium's organised Muslim community, said the Rida mosque "had already been placed under police protection several years ago," citing direct threats from members of the ultra-conservative Salafist movement.
Raection would have been all over if it was by a non muslim... this is second such attack within one year..
The image that the world in general holds of Islam is sadly not a flattering one and realistically both sides have to blame for this.
So the perpetrator has been confirmed to be a salafist. Muslim minorities are not even safe at their hands even in Europe.
Yet another evidence of increasing extremism & discrimination on the oppressed .Identify the oppressor and oppressed.
@Pollack: Whoa so you are justifying it this barbaric terrorist act? and by the way, no, such cases do not happen everyday in Pakistan.
@Mumbai Dude: Noone forced that girl to convert to Islam. She converted out of her own free will. She has testified in court.
After LeT, now SiS has gone global
one question - the group of men who caused the arson was white belgian nationals or brown immigrants ?
I half expected to see ET celebrate this incident
I strongly condmen and request stop using specifically pointing shiite mosque, it will ignite sectarian terror and gives an impression that sunnis are the one who burnt down that mosque... so stop dividing muslims in shiite and sunnis...
@Muslims: How did you feel? Really bad, right? Now think how non muslims in Pakistan would be feeling when their daughters are being converted, when open hatred is spread, when Ahmadis are prevented from praying, Hindus are called agents, etc.
"Police officials at the scene “confirmed it was the imam” who died when a firebomb was thrown into the Shiite mosque"
The global Jihadi Sunni mercinaries are trying to stir up the flame? I see an underlying pattern in every conflict that is going on around the world today.
Targeting places of worship is the worst form of hatred and terrorism. It is sad to see that Shia are now targeted even in Europe after they have suffered heavily at the hands of terrorists in Pakistan and other countries. The arsonists must be brought to justice and such incidents prevented. All places of worship must be protected against future attacks.
So this is clearly tucked away in the world news.. Attack a church, synagogue or temple and the issue would be top headlines.
Dhimmitude coming to a town near you,...if you don't awaken.
An act of utter barbarism! But, still they managed to get a witness who helped in capturing a suspect. I wonder where are all the witnesses and evidence of Gojra massacre and barbarism? Anyone?
If it is a sectarian act, then it is a bad news for all muslims living in europe, acts like these would deepen sectarian rift.
Sounds more like PAK than Europe
@imam shamil.: this happens every day in the land of the pure. Does it not?
finally.
Act of Terror.