Man, 50, arrested for allegedly starting fire outside mosque in Raffles Place - Mothership

He was arrested within three hours of the initial report.

A 50-year-old Chinese man will be charged in court on Sep. 26 for allegedly starting a fire outside a mosque in the central business district of Singapore.

The Singapore Police Force (SPF) said in a news release that they were alerted to a case of a fire outside a mosque located at 80 Raffles Place at around 9pm on Friday (Sep. 25).

The address matches that of Masjid Moulana Mohamed Ali, located in the basement of UOB Plaza One.

Preliminary investigations revealed that a man had placed an oil tin at the entrance of the mosque and set fire to a piece of undergarment placed in the oil tin.

He subsequently left the location. The fire was put out by a member of public and no injuries were reported.

Officers from the Central Police Division established the man's identity through ground enquiries and police camera footage, and arrested him within three hours of the report.

The man will be charged in court on Sep. 26 for causing or contributing to the risk of dangerous fire, an offence punishable under Section 285 of the Penal Code 1871.

If found guilty, the man may face a jail term of up to one year, a fine, or both.

Acting Minister-in-charge of Muslim Affairs Zaqy Mohamad commented on the incident in a Facebook post, saying he was thankful no one was hurt and thankful for the member of the public who put out the fire.