Video shows attempted killer set fire to worshippers as judge imposes indefinite sentence

Mohammed Abbkr, of Gillott Road, Edgbaston, was previously found guilty of attempting to murder the two pensioners on two separate occasions in February and March last year.

Both victims were left with burn injuries.

In the first attack, Abbkr sprayed petrol over an 82-year-old and used a lighter to set him on fire outside West Ealing Islamic Centre in west London during the evening of February 27, 2023.

Nearly a month later, on March 20, he doused a 70-year-old worshipper with petrol from a bottle outside Dudley Road Mosque in Birmingham before setting him alight.

There was no evidence Abbkr was motivated by a particular ideology, and so the incidents were not treated as a terrorist attack.

Abbkr was arrested on March 21, the day after the Birmingham attack, as police tracked him returning to Dudley Road Mosque.

The 29-year-old, who arrived in the UK from Sudan in 2017, was sentenced at Birmingham Crown Court today.

He received a hospital order and cannot be released without the approval of a Secretary of State.

Nick Price, head of the CPS special crime and counter terrorism division, said: “These were horrific acts of violence against two elderly members of the public as they left mosques.

“Mohammed Abbkr’s actions resulted in severe injuries and psychological trauma to his victims and caused considerable shock and concern to the communities in London and Birmingham.

“I hope today’s sentence provides some reassurance to all those affected that they are safer now this man has been brought to justice.”