Suspected murder linked to community centre fire

Police believe a fire at a Worcester community centre is connected to a suspected murder, following the discovery of a body in a garage.

West Mercia Police said it had arrested a man after attending a site on Surman Street at about 06:00 GMT following reports of a garage fire.

Officers found the body of a man who is yet to be formally identified, and the arrested 34-year-old remains in custody.

Emergency services were subsequently called shortly after 07:00 to reports of a second fire at a community centre on Stanley Road.

The two sites under investigation lie just over a mile apart.

Members of Worcester's Muslim community have said the second fire happened at the Unity House Community Hub, which lies just off Stanley Road.

In a statement, Worcester Muslim Welfare Association, based at the site, said it was cooperating with the police's investigation into the second fire.

It said the incident had caused "enormous distress" to the community and called on police to investigate it as a potential hate crime.

Deputy Worcester City Council leader Jabbar Riaz said the local community was on edge, particularly as it was the holy month of Ramadan.

"It's really important to remain calm in all of this and let the police do their investigations," he said.

Det Ch Insp Gareth Lougher said police were working to establish the identity of the person found dead in the garage, who initial inquiries had confirmed was a white male.

"We are aware of reports that this may be race or religiously motivated and the concern this may cause," he added.

"There is no information to suggest that this is the case at this time, but the investigation team will retain an open mind as the investigation progresses."

The force said the community could expect an increased police presence as inquiries continued.

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