At around 10:10 PM last night the Belfast Islamic Centre on University Road was attacked during evening prayers.
A 34-year-old man, who had been reportedly denied entry by security, smashed a ground-floor window with a brick and threw a viable incendiary device inside, causing a security alert. Up to 30 people were praying upstairs, and the building was evacuated with no injuries reported.
A passer-by intervened, stopping further damage, and the suspect was arrested under the Terrorism Act. Police are investigating the motive, treating it as a potential hate crime.
The centre reopened the next day, with members expressing defiance.
Politicians, including Alliance MLA Paula Bradshaw, Sinn Féin MLA Deirdre Hargey, and Green Party Councillor Áine Groogan, condemned the attack as a hateful act targeting the Muslim community.
You can read more on the BBC website and The Belfast Telegraph.
