A CULTURAL centre used by Muslims has been targeted in a firebomb attack.
A manhunt is under way for the culprits who targeted the Bishopbriggs Cultural Centre - also known as Al Sarouk - in the early hours of Tuesday morning.
Insiders fear the building may have been set alight in revenge for the Paris terror attacks.
Fire crews raced to the scene in Auchinairn Road, Bishopbriggs at around 2.20am today and found a fire had been started.
Police today confirmed the fire is being treated as "wilful fire-raising" and witnesses have been urged to come forward.
Sources said the incident may be linked to the Paris terrorist incidents and although, it was not currently being treated as a hate crime, it is "one line of inquiry being looked at".
The insider said: "It was definitely a deliberate act and an investigation is underway to find out exactly what happened.
"Obviously, the motive for the incident is key."
Police stressed no one was injured and the building is believed to have been empty when the vandals struck.
Chief Inspector Craig Smith, area commander for East Dunbartonshire, confirmed an investigation had been launched.
He said: "Officers are investigating a fire at Bishopbriggs Cultural Centre in Auchinairn Road, Bishopbriggs.
"Police and fire crews were alerted to the fire at around 2.20am on Tuesday November 17.
"The fire is being treated as wilful and a joint investigation between Police Scotland and Scottish Fire and Rescue Service is now underway."
It comes after a Scots couple were violently assaulted by a gang outside their takeaway in Fife.
The man and woman were set upon by a group of around 15 people in the early hours of Sunday.
Anyone with information about the fire is asked to contact Police Scotland on 101.
Why are you making commenting on The Herald only available to subscribers?
It should have been a safe space for informed debate, somewhere for readers to discuss issues around the biggest stories of the day, but all too often the below the line comments on most websites have become bogged down by off-topic discussions and abuse.
heraldscotland.com is tackling this problem by allowing only subscribers to comment.
We are doing this to improve the experience for our loyal readers and we believe it will reduce the ability of trolls and troublemakers, who occasionally find their way onto our site, to abuse our journalists and readers. We also hope it will help the comments section fulfil its promise as a part of Scotland's conversation with itself.
We are lucky at The Herald. We are read by an informed, educated readership who can add their knowledge and insights to our stories.
That is invaluable.
We are making the subscriber-only change to support our valued readers, who tell us they don't want the site cluttered up with irrelevant comments, untruths and abuse.
In the past, the journalist’s job was to collect and distribute information to the audience. Technology means that readers can shape a discussion. We look forward to hearing from you on heraldscotland.com
Comments & Moderation
Readers’ comments: You are personally liable for the content of any comments you upload to this website, so please act responsibly. We do not pre-moderate or monitor readers’ comments appearing on our websites, but we do post-moderate in response to complaints we receive or otherwise when a potential problem comes to our attention. You can make a complaint by using the ‘report this post’ link . We may then apply our discretion under the user terms to amend or delete comments.
Post moderation is undertaken full-time 9am-6pm on weekdays, and on a part-time basis outwith those hours.
Read the rules hereLast Updated:
Report this comment Cancel