A mosque in Peacehaven, near Brighton on England’s south coast, was deliberately set on fire Saturday night in what UK police are investigating as a hate crime, authorities confirmed. At the time of the attack, two worshippers were still inside the building, reported by CNN.
The incident comes amid a tense period in the UK, marked by a spike in both Islamophobic and antisemitic attacks. Just days earlier, a deadly car-ramming and stabbing outside a Manchester synagogue on Yom Kippur claimed two lives, heightening concerns about rising religious hatred.
According to a voluntary mosque manager, two individuals wearing balaclavas attempted to break into the mosque on Saturday evening. When they failed to force their way inside, they poured gasoline on the steps and ignited it.
Seeing the real intention behind all “Raise the colours” flags on the A259 unfurl as Peacehaven mosque is firebombed.
Burning a mosque is terrorism, full stop. If leaders can swiftly condemn a synagogue attack, they must do the same here.https://t.co/HvW8VJ3Tg5 pic.twitter.com/naQxdwMwzd— Narinder Kaur (@narindertweets) October 5, 2025
Emergency services were alerted shortly before 10 p.m. local time. The mosque’s chairman and another volunteer, both in their 60s, were enjoying tea after evening prayers when they heard a loud bang and saw flames consuming the entrance. They escaped unharmed, though it remains unclear whether the attackers knew anyone was inside.
The mosque, which has served the local Muslim community for four years, typically hosts 10 to 15 worshippers for evening prayers. Security footage from the night shows the masked individuals attempting to open the doors multiple times before dousing the entrance, floor, and a vehicle, identified as the chairman’s car, with gasoline.
Terrorist attack on mosque downgraded to hate crime as perpetrator/s are white and victims are Muslim
Peacehaven, a suburb just outside Brighton, was draped in flags only weeks ago, and last night, its mosque was attacked by arsonists.
No COBRA meeting. No wall-to-wall… pic.twitter.com/rkqTlRlIus
— Save Our Citizenships 🔻 (@LetsStopC9) October 5, 2025
While no physical injuries occurred, Sussex Police highlighted the psychological toll on the community. In response, officers have increased patrols and stepped up security at mosques and other places of worship across Sussex, in a report by CNN.
Liberal Democrat MP James MacCleary, representing Lewes, condemned the attack on social media, saying: “Appalling to hear about this fire at the mosque in Peacehaven. It is an important part of the local community, and police are treating it as a hate crime.”
The mosque has faced threats before. Last August, eggs were thrown at the building on two occasions, and passersby have hurled racial slurs, according to the manager.
Following the Manchester synagogue attack, Prime Minister Keir Starmer strongly denounced the surge in hate crimes, warning that religious and racial hatred “is rising once again, and Britain must defeat it once again.”
