Police search for arson suspect in alleged hate-motivated fire in northwest London

London police are looking for a male suspect in an arson investigation which they believe could be hate-motivated, after the front porch of a house in the city's northwest was set on fire Saturday night. 

At approximately 10:40 p.m. police and fire crews responded to reports of a fire at a house on Wateroak Drive. The fire was extinguished and there were no injuries reported.

"A preliminary investigation revealed that the fire appears to have been deliberately set and the suspect in the fire had obviously fled the scene," said Det. Insp. Alex Krygsman. "At this point we are treating it as a possible hate-motivated incident. "

A man arrived at the house on foot, earlier at around 9:30 p.m. and stole items from the front yard, which included lawn signs expressing support for Palestinians, Krygsman said. The same man later returned and started a fire on the front porch before fleeing again.

Police have received at least four reports specific to this address involving theft and property damage dating back to last month, and they believe the incidents are related, Krygsman said. 

"There are a number of incidents we are looking into that involve [this residence] since the beginning of May, including some property damage and theft of some signs, and we're looking into those as well, they form part of the investigation," he said.

"We have reason to believe that it's likely the same person but that is subject to further investigation."

Arson 'very concerning', says Muslim advocacy group

The occurrence is particularly concerning given the rise of Islamophobia in recent months, said Nawaz Tahir of Hikma Public Affairs Council, adding that the family who lives at the house was also given a threatening letter a few weeks ago.

"The act of setting fire to somebody's house is a high hate level event and it's very concerning for the community," he said. 

The incident comes two days after a vigil was held to mark the third anniversary of a hate-motivated truck attack that killed four members of a Muslim family, and seriously injured and orphaned their youngest son on June 6, 2021.

"Each event like this chips away at the safety and security of the community and this one in particular is quite serious," said Tahir.

Damage from the fire is estimated at $30,000. 

The male suspect is described to be between 30 to 50 years of age, with a medium/heavy build.  He was wearing grey shoes, dark pants, a light grey zip-up sweater with vertical black accents on the sides under the arms, a dark-coloured toque, and a medical mask.

"This is an investigation that is the priority for our police service right now," Krygsman said.