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Three jailed for arson attack on publisher’s home
THREE men have each been jailed for four-and-a half years for an arson attack on a Barnsbury publisher’s home.
Ali Beheshti, Abrar Mirza and Abbas Taj planned to set fire to the building in Lonsdale Square, where Gibson Square Books was also based, after discovering it was going to publish a controversial book, The Jewel of Medina, about the Prophet Mohammed and his young wife.
Beheshti and Mirza poured diesel through the door of the building before setting it alight. They were arrested after being stopped by police in an intelligence-led operation as they attempted to flee the scene.
Beheshti, 41, of Ilford, and Mirza, 23, of Walthamstow, admitted conspiracy to commit arson, being reckless as to whether life was endangered, at an earlier court hearing.
Taj, 31, of Forest Gate, pleaded not guilty to the same charge, but was found guilty by a jury at Croydon Crown Court.
The Met’s Deputy Assistant Commissioner John McDowall said: “These men planned to carry out arson as a violent reaction and protest against the publishing of a book.” |
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