Police believe fire may be linked to funeral fight
Emergency services called to blaze at house in Wishaw on Sunday night after attended disturbance at Daldowie Crematorium three days before
A targeted fire attack on a house in North Lanarkshire could be linked to a fight at a funeral days before.
The property was set on fire in Wishaw at around 6.35pm on Sunday, and two men were seen running from the Wishaw Road area and getting into a silver car.
The fire came after two mourners sustained serious facial injuries in a disturbance at Daldowie Crematorium in Uddingston, South Lanarkshire, on Thursday.
A 56-year-old man has since been arrested in connection with the crematorium incident.
No-one was injured in Sunday's blaze, which a joint investigation by Police Scotland and the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service concluded was deliberately started.
Police "refused to rule out'' suggestions that the two incidents are linked, and in addition they are investigating the discovery of a burnt-out car on the A71 Lanark Road near the M74 which could also be related.
Detective Inspector Kenny Dalrymple said: "Although we believe this to be a targeted attack, this doesn't make it any less serious.
"Thankfully no-one was injured, however the consequences could have been much worse. These locations would have been busy on Sunday evening and I would urge anyone with information to come forward. In particular, we are working to trace two men who were seen running from the area in Wishaw Road and entering a silver-coloured car around the time the fire was set.
"A short time later, a Volkswagen Passat was found burnt-out on the A71 Lanark Road, near to the Larkhall junction of the M74. Inquiries are ongoing to establish if this vehicle is linked to the fire.
"Officers are currently studying CCTV images in an effort to gather more information on this crime, the vehicle involved and the car that was found burnt-out.
"Anyone with information, no matter how insignificant it may seem, should contact detectives at Wishaw police station.''