Man who set two people on fire outside mosques found guilty of attempted murder
He carries out the attacks in February and March this year.
A man who set fire to two elderly worshippers as they were leaving mosques in London and Birmingham has been found guilty of attempted murder.
Mohammed Abbkr prayed with the congregation before waiting for victims Hashi Odowa, 82, and Mohammed Rayaz, 70, outside.
CCTV footage showed the moments they were doused in a substance mixed with petrol and set on fire in separate incidents in February and March.
The 29-year-old first targeted Mr Odowa in the capital after he failed to recognise him.
‘I swear in the name of Allah you will know me,’ he told his victim seconds before the attack.
Abbkr then sprayed petrol on Mr Rayaz, leaving him ‘engulfed in flames’ because he did not speak Arabic.
He admitted being responsible for setting both men alight but denied two counts of attempted murder.
Nicholas de la Poer KC, prosecuting, told the court: ‘It is the prosecution case that the defendant intended to kill Mr Odowa and Mr Rayaz when he attacked them.
‘The defendant has denied this and on his behalf it is contended he was suffering from delusions at the time and had not intended to kill a human being.
‘Mr Rayaz survived the attack but he was less fortunate than Mr Odowa.
‘He suffered more serious burns, injuries particularly to his head, and was in hospital for a number of weeks following the attack.
‘It is the prosecution case that when the defendant threw petrol on Mr Rayaz and set fire to him and then added further petrol to the flames, he was intending to kill him.’
After his arrest, Abbkr was diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia involving persecutory and religious delusions.
Jurors convicted him by majority 11-1 verdicts after deliberating for more than seven hours over two days.
The Recorder of Birmingham, Judge Melbourne Inman KC, told the court after the verdicts that he wanted to hear further psychiatric evidence before considering a proposal to sentence the defendant to a hospital order.
He said: ‘If a hospital order is going to be imposed on the defendant then I need to hear evidence from a psychiatrist.’
Abbkr was remanded in custody until a sentencing hearing on November 17.
Got a story? Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@metro.co.uk. Or you can submit your videos and pictures here.
For more stories like this, check our news page.
Follow Metro.co.uk on Twitter and Facebook for the latest news updates. You can now also get Metro.co.uk articles sent straight to your device. Sign up for our daily push alerts here.