Abrar Mirza, of Walthamstow, has been jailed for his role in firebombing a publisher which had announced it was to publish a controversial book about the Prophet Mohammed (From East London and West Essex Guardian Series)

Abrar Mirza, of Walthamstow, has been jailed for his role in firebombing a publisher which had announced it was to publish a controversial book about the Prophet Mohammed

3:29pm Tuesday 7th July 2009

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A WALTHAMSTOW man has been jailed for four and a half years for his part in an arson attack on a book publisher's office.

Abrar Mirza, 23, of Eastfield Road, Walthamstow, was among a trio of arsonists to attack a home premises of Gibson Square Books Ltd after discovering it was going to publish controversial novel The Jewel of Medina, the plot of which focuses on one of Prophet Mohammed's wives.

Mriza, along with Ali Beheshti, 41, of Tavistock Gardens, Ilford, poured diesel through the door of the Islington-based publisher before setting it alight last September.

They were arrested by armed police officers as they tried to flee.

Mirza and Beheshti admitted conspiracy to commit arson and recklessly endangering life.

A third man, Abbas Taj, 31, of Field Road, Forest Gate, denied the same charges but was found guilty and all three were sentenced to four and a half years behind bars today.

Met Police 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.

"They did not care whether anybody would be killed or injured when they poured diesel through the letterbox and set fire to it.”

Beheshti and Mirza were seen carrying out reconnaissance 'drive throughs' of Lonsdale Square and its surrounding area in the weeks leading up to the attack.

Beheshti was also caught on CCTV filling a fuel can with diesel.

A computer found at Mirza's address showed that research had been conducted into the location of Gibson Square Books, including Google Earth and map searches.

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