Imam Dies Battling Arson Attack On Mosque
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An imam has died at a mosque in Belgium after it was attacked by an arsonist - reportedly as he tried to extinguish the flames.
A man carrying an axe, a can of petrol and Molotov cocktails was reportedly seen at the Shi'ite mosque in Anderlecht, a suburb of Brussels, shortly before 7pm local time.
The man then broke the windows of the mosque and threw the incendiary devices inside, the newspaper Le Soir said.
Police spokeswoman Marie Verbeck confirmed that the imam had died in the fire, but did not disclose his name or provide any further details.
"There is a lot of damage, apparently the entire mosque, or almost the entire mosque, burned down," she said.
Ms Verbeck said one person had been arrested and no one else was being sought in connection with the arson attack.
Le Soir reported that the 47-year-old imam died while trying to put out the blaze.
A man was reportedly seen breaking the windows of the mosque
Abdel Adouzeyneb, an estate agent, said the victim left behind four children.
"He was a person who was loved by everybody... He was open, well-integrated, smiling and happy," he said.
Within hours of the fire, several dozen people gathered at the ruins of the mosque.
Ismael Ben Mohammad, 40, said he felt "a sadness difficult to describe".
The area around the mosque, near Belgium's main international railway hub, has a large immigrant Muslim population.
Belgian interior minister Joelle Milquet said she was "very shocked by the events that have occurred" which she condemned "with firmness and indignation".
Fadila Laanan, a regional minister, said on her Twitter account that she was "scandalised by this attack in my community against a mosque".
"A man is dead and that is despicable, nothing can excuse such an act," she added.
The last time an imam was targeted in Brussels was in 1989 when Saudi-born Abdullah Muhammad al Ahdal was shot dead.
He served as imam in the Grand Mosque of Brussels and was killed in March of that year by an armed man inside the mosque.
His killing was claimed by a small pro-Iranian group in Lebanon who accused him of being too moderate and of having rejected the death fatwa slapped on British writer Salman Rushdie.
The area around Anderlecht (marked in red) is home to a large number of Muslim immigrants
An imam in the Belgian municipality of , near the capital, , has died following a suspected arson attack at a Shia mosque.

It is thought the mosque was attacked by a man wielding an axe, petrol and Molotov cocktails on Monday evening. The imam, in his mid-forties, reportedly died of smoke inhalation while trying to put out the resulting blaze. Another person was injured during the attack.

Police spokeswoman Marie Verbeck confirmed the death, and said a suspect has been arrested in connection with the fire. Police are not seeking anyone else in relation to the incident.

Belgium's interior minister  said: "This person went in to the mosque hurling statements linked to the Syrian conflict. It appears to be a problem between Sunnis and Shias ... Belgium will not tolerate this type of act and the importing of this type of conflict on its territory".

She stressed that details on the motive for the crime are unclear. The area around Anderlecht is home to a large number of Muslim immigrants. The last imam to have been killed in an attack in Belgium's capital was  Abdullah Muhammad al Ahdal, who was shot in 1989.