British Man Receives Nine-Year Sentence for Arson at Asylum Seekers' Hotel

Thomas Birley, a 27-year-old British man, was sentenced to nine years in prison for arson at a hotel accommodating asylum seekers. His actions, driven by racist motives, ignited during a wave of anti-Muslim riots following misinformation about the death of three girls in Southport.

A British man, Thomas Birley, aged 27, was sentenced to nine years in prison on Friday for committing arson at a hotel housing asylum seekers. His sentence is the longest handed down in connection with a series of anti-Muslim riots.

Birley admitted to arson with intent to endanger life after adding wood to a fire in an industrial bin placed in front of a hotel fire door near Rotterdam, northern England, on August 4. Prosecutor Elisha Kay revealed that the hotel staff, fearing for their lives, barricaded themselves inside a panic room.

The riots ensued after online misinformation falsely attributed the death of three young girls in Southport to an Islamist migrant. The wave of violence resulted in approximately 1,300 arrests and around 200 convictions. Judge Jeremy Richardson condemned Birley's actions as racist and influenced by social media, highlighting his prominent role in the disorder.

(With inputs from agencies.)