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.
Los alrededores de Anderlecht (señalado en rojo) albergan a un gran número de inmigrantes musulmanes. 

Ha muerto un imán en lo que se sospecha, ha sido un incendio provocado en una mezquita chií del municipio belga de Anderlecht, cercano a Bruselas.

Se cree que la mezquita fue atacada el lunes por la noche por un hombre que llevaba un hacha, combustible y cócteles molotov. Según se ha informado, el imán de más de 40 años y cuyo nombre se desconoce, murió por inhalación de humo mientras trataba de apagar el fuego. Otra persona resultó herida en el ataque.

La vocera de la policía belga, Marie Verbeck, ha confirmado la muerte y ha declarado que un sospechoso ha sido arrestado con motivo del incendio. La policía no está buscando a nadie más en relación con el crimen.

Azzedine Laghmish, testigo de lo ocurrido, ha declarado para el canal televisivo RTBF lo siguiente: "Una docena de devotos esperaban el comienzo del rezo cuando alguien entró con una bolsa. Dentro había un recipiente lleno de combustible que el hombre lanzó al centro de la sala. El fuego se extendió muy rápidamente. El imán trató de apagarlo pero se quedó atrapado en una sala".

No están claros los motivos del crimen. Los alrededores de Anderlecht albergan a un gran número de inmigrantes musulmanes. El último imán asesinado en Bélgica, fue el saudí Abdullah Muhammad al Ahdal, que recibió un disparo en la capital de Bélgica en 1989.