Firebombers have targeted a car linked to a businessman whose home was previously attacked in a posh village.
The latest incident at a rented home in Bothwell, Lanarkshire, where a new £42,000 BMW 420 Coupe was destroyed, leaving neighbours at Pailis Crescent shaken.
The fire came just a year after Alan’s luxury “ mancave ” was set ablaze in the garden of his home in McGuire Gate.
The fires are among a catalogue of similar incidents to erupt in Bothwell in the past 18 months, with homes, restaurants and cars targeted by thugs.
One source told the Record: “It’s quite a trauma for anyone to be targeted in this way but it’s a horror story for the neighbours too, as the fires could easily spread to other homes.
“Bothwell is one of the most prestigious places to live but it’s becoming the firebomb capital of Scotland.
“Some of the incidents are connected and others seem to be one-offs, possibly done as a copy-cat thing after local fall-outs.
“The gossip in the village is pretty brisk so there are a few theories going round about what is fuelling some of the crime.”
Alan MacRae is well known in the village and runs the successful Avia Signs business in Coatbridge.
He has been a sponsor of Rangers and friends with several of the club’s players but those connections are not believed to be related to any vendetta against him.
Last May, the businessman was one target by fire-raisers in just three days.
His plush summer house, with a fully fitted bar, was torched along with attacks on other prominent businessmen.
A house in the west end of Glasgow was also targeted, as was the home of Celtic chief executive Peter Lawwell in Thorntonhall, near Glasgow.
Furious MacRae took to social media after the crime, saying: “To the scumbags who burnt down my bar last night, I look forward to meeting you when we catch you, and we will catch you.”
In the latest incident, fire crews battled the blaze and tried to stop it spreading onto nearby homes, eventually being able to extinguish it just after 1am on Saturday morning.
A Police Scotland spokesperson said: “We received a report of a car on fire on Pailis Crescent, Bothwell, around 11.55pm on Friday, 3 June, 2022.
“The fire is currently being treated as wilful and enquiries are ongoing.”
Alan MacRae did not return our call.
Don't miss the latest news from around Scotland and beyond - Sign up to our daily newsletter here
