A UK man Paul Johnson was convicted after confessing to set Edinburgh’s Guru Nanak Gurdwara and a church on fire. The man told the police of his desire to watch the gurdwara on fire and admitted to the charges saying: “I did it:
He was convicted to two charges of wilful fire raising and aggravated by religious prejudice on August 28, 2018 when he appeared before the judge in Edinburgh.
The man had purchased fuel for his fire at a nearby gas station and evidence of CCTV footage was provided in the court. A member of the sangat on August 28 at 5am spotted the fire at the doors and alerted everyone inside to evacuate. The fire alarm of the Gurdwara was activated causing the firefighters to arrive on the scene to control the fire.
A similar incident occurred few hours later at a nearby church.
Det Insp Grant Johnston, of Police Scotland, said: “Paul Johnson showed absolutely no concern for the safety or wellbeing of those in or around either place of worship when he started these fires.
“As a result of a swift police investigation, Johnson was quickly traced and arrested in connection with the fire and has now been given a custodial sentence.
“We treat all hate crime incidents with the utmost seriousness and whenever such offences occur, we will conduct a thorough inquiry to bring those responsible to justice.”
Here is an Akaal Channel Report of the Incident: