Family Of Five Escape Injury In Racist Arson Attack

A family of five managed to escape injury in a Belfast arson attack that police are treating as a racist hate crime.

Officers said flammable liquid was poured through the letter box of the Hyndford Street home in east Belfast in the early hours of Friday 09 November

Detective Sergeant Sam McCallum said: "The fire was reported to us at 12.10am. It's believed that an accelerant was poured through the letter box of a front door and set alight.

"A family of five inside the house- a man, a woman and three children- escaped injury after the man managed to put out the fire himself.

Damage was caused to the door and a window. No one was injured but the family has been left badly shaken.

"This was a reckless act on a home where a family have the right to feel safe. We could have been dealing with something much more serious today," DS McCallum added.

"Our enquiries into this incident are at an early stage, which we are treating as arson with intent to endanger life.

"Hate crime, in all its forms, is totally unacceptable. It is the responsibility of each and every one of us to ensure that we live in a society where diversity is respected. If you or someone you know is the victim of a hate crime please contact police or your local support agency."

Officers are appealing to anyone who was in the Hyndford Street area between midnight and 12.10am on Friday morning to get in touch.



(JG)