Man to be charged after allegedly starting fire in front of mosque - CNA

The police found that an oil tin had been placed at the entrance of a mosque at 80 Raffles Place, with an undergarment placed inside and set ablaze.

The interior of Moulana Mohamed Ali mosque at UOB Plaza. (Photo: Facebook/Masjid Moulana Mohamed Ali)

This audio is generated by an AI tool.

SINGAPORE: A 50-year-old man will be charged in court on Saturday (Sep 26) for allegedly starting a fire outside a mosque in Singapore's central business district.

In a news release, the Singapore Police Force (SPF) said it was alerted to a fire outside a mosque at 80 Raffles Place at about 9pm on Friday. The address corresponds to that of Masjid Moulana Mohamed Ali, which is located in the basement of UOB Plaza One.

Authorities found that the man had placed an oil tin at the entrance of the mosque and set fire to a piece of undergarment placed inside.

The suspect, who the police said was Chinese, subsequently left the location.

"The fire was put out by a member of the public and no injuries were reported," SPF added.

Acting Minister-in-charge of Muslim Affairs Zaqy Mohamad said on Saturday that he was thankful no one was hurt and that there was no damage to the mosque.

"I am thankful too to the member of public who acted quickly to put out the fire," he said in a Facebook post, adding that the mosque remained safe and continued to operate as usual.

Mr Zaqy said the incident was a reminder that Singapore's peace and harmony "cannot be taken for granted", and that keeping society safe and cohesive was a shared responsibility.

SPF officers arrested the man within three hours of the report, seizing a lighter as a case exhibit.

If found guilty of causing or contributing to the risk of a dangerous fire, the man may face a jail term of up to one year, a fine, or both.