Three further arrests over mosque arson attack

Four people previously arrested have been released without further action, police said

Police investigating an arson attack on a mosque in East Sussex have arrested three people.

Sussex Police said it would take "no further action" against the four people it had previously arrested in connection with the fire in Peacehaven, which was set alight on 4 October.

Two men aged 34 and 42 from Peacehaven and a 38-year-old man from Seaford are now in custody on suspicion of arson with intent to endanger life, the force said.

The mosque's front entrance and a car parked outside were damaged in the attack.

Police were called to the incident, on Phyllis Avenue, just before 22:00 BST that night.

They said people were inside the mosque at the time but nobody was injured.

The latest arrests follow the charity Crimestoppers offering a reward up to £10,000 for information relating to the attack that leads to convictions.

Sussex Police previously said it was treating the incident as a hate crime.

Det Ch Insp Mark Cullimore said officers were conducting a "rigorous, thorough investigation" and recognised "the significant distress the incident caused to the victims and wider community".

"We are continuing to gather any available evidence and are exploring multiple lines of enquiry," he said.

The force asked anybody impacted by the fire or with information that could help investigators to contact them or Crimestoppers.

Khuram Kiani, a founding member of the mosque, said at the time of the incident it was an "unfortunate, terrifying, shocking" event.

Sir Keir Starmer condemned the "despicable" attack and "the poison of anti-Muslim hatred" in a statement to MPs on 14 October.