56-year old man arrested by police investigating race-hate related Belfast incidents

A man has been arrested in south Belfast by police investigating a number of race-hate related incidents in recent months.

The 56-year old was detained on Saturday, November 11th - police say it's after a number of months of probes into incidents against a local business owner in the Sandy Row area.

A PSNI spokesman said: "The man was arrested on suspicion of two counts of arson, following reports of arson on 10th and 11th April, in which the shutters of a shop were set alight. Officers attended and thankfully there were no reports of any injuries but damage was caused to the building.

"He was also arrested on suspicion of two counts of threats to damage property, one count of threats to kill, harassment and intimidation, following a number of reports between April and November of this year.

"He remains in police custody at this time."

The Superintendent continued: "This arrest follows months of investigation and officers following up on a number of lines of enquiry. We hope this arrest highlights how seriously we take reports of race related hate crimes and we are committed to bringing offenders to justice and supporting victims.

"Hate crime hurts communities on many levels. Racially motivated hate crime continues to be a priority issue for local police in South Belfast.

"We are working closely with the local community and partner agencies, and we are grateful for their support as we work together to tackle issues which underlie hate crime and to find sustainable solutions.

"I would appeal to anyone who has any information whatsoever on any recent hate crimes to provide this directly to police by telephoning 101 or online at www.psni.police.uk/makeareport. Information can also be provided to Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111 or online at www.crimestoppers-uk.org.”