Man charged with attempted murder after two set alight in street

Mohammed Abbkr is due to appear in court in Birmingham charged over attacks in Edgbaston and London.

A 28-year-old man has been charged with two counts of attempted murder after two elderly men were set alight in incidents in Birmingham and London (Richard Vernalls/PA) (PA Wire)

A 28-year-old man has been charged with two counts of attempted murder after two elderly men were set alight in incidents in Birmingham and London.

West Midlands Police said Mohammed Abbkr, of Edgbaston, Birmingham, is being kept in custody ahead of an appearance at a magistrates’ Court on Thursday morning.

The force said Abbkr is alleged to have sprayed a substance on two men and set it alight in separate incidents in Ealing, west London, on February 27 and in Birmingham last Monday.

Mohammed Rayaz, 70, was set on fire as he walked home from Dudley Road Mosque in the Edgbaston area of Birmingham at about 7pm on Monday.

He remains in hospital with severe injuries.

Abbkr was arrested in the Dudley Road area on Tuesday on suspicion of the attempted murder of Mr Rayaz.

He was later arrested on suspicion of the same offence in relation to an 82-year-old who suffered severe burns to his face and arms near an Islamic centre in Ealing.

Officers are continuing to appeal for CCTV, doorbell footage or other video that could help the investigation.