A MOSQUE in north London has been destroyed after a blaze – feared to be a revenge attack for the murder of Drummer Lee Rigby.
The fire was started in the early hours of the morning and cops are probing if members of the English Defence League started the inferno.Cops from the Met's Counter-Terrorism Command are leading the investigation after graffiti reading EDL was found on the building.
Part of the two-story Somali Bravanese Welfare Association collapsed and cops are treating the fire as “suspicious”.
Two properties close to the fire were evacuated and one woman suffered shock and was treated at the scene, London Ambulance Service said.
There has been a spate of attacks on mosques across the country following the stabbing to death of soldier Lee Rigby in Woolwich, South East London, two weeks ago.
Cops say they have “started consulting and will work closely with the Somali and Islamic communities to provide support and reassurance”.
Ali Abu, 30, of the Somali charity BritSom, said: “We are all shocked by what has happened. We condemn this attack.
“The situation is very serious at the moment. We are appalled and deeply saddened by this attack against a peaceful community.”
Fiyaz Mughal, of Faith Matters, a group which monitors anti-Muslim hatred, said: "Bearing in mind this is close to Woolwich, bearing in mind that it houses Islamic activities, bearing in mind that they have found alleged EDL graffiti, there’s a strong likelihood that this could be an anti-Muslim incident.
“It is very concerning when we know that, online, there is a huge amount of anti-Muslim hate. We know that. When it moves into the physical world, it is extremely concerning."
A Scotland Yard spokesman said: “Police were called by London Fire Brigade at 3.25am on Wednesday June 5 to reports of a fire at a community centre on Coppetts Road, N10.
“Police, London Ambulance Service, and London Fire Brigade attended. No-one has been reported injured at this time.
“The cause of the fire is currently under investigation and two properties were evacuated close to the fire.”
Six fire engines and around 35 fire fighters tackled the flames which were brought under control by 4.40am.
Chief Superintendent Adrian Usher said. "I have spoken to community leaders and assured them that a thorough investigation is being conducted.
"The safety of our communities is always our priority and we are consulting widely, offering our support and reassurance.
"All communities can be confident that they have our support and I can be contacted personally to answer their concerns."
There have been no arrests at this stage.
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