(Photo: Creative Commons)

Elham Asaad Buaras

The front door of the Edinburgh Central Mosque, in Potterow, Scotland, sustained minor fire damage after an object was thrown at the building at about 2.10am on Sunday September 19.

No one was hurt but a small bush in the garden was also damaged.

Police are investigating the incident as a hate crime and are now searching for a man in connection with the incident.

He is described as a white male, in his early thirties, with very short hair. He was wearing a short-sleeved black top with a white emblem on the front and dark trousers.

Shortly before the incident, he was spotted speaking to a group of women in George Square and these witnesses are being urged to come forward.

Detective Inspector John Kavanagh, from Police Scotland, said: “Fortunately, no-one was injured as a result of this incident but the consequences could have been far worse had the fire taken hold and spread. I would ask that anyone who remembers seeing any suspicious activity around the mosque, or within the Potterrow area, contacts police immediately.”

In a statement a spokesperson for Edinburgh Central Mosque played down the incident insisting that, “At this early stage, the indications are that it is an isolated incident from a suspect with no known links to any far-right groups. The Police have reassured us and the wider community that there remains no persistent threat and that their checks to safeguard all religious communities remain firmly in place. The mosque’s activities continue as normal.”