At a glance
- A fire broke out at the Thistle City Barbican hotel in Islington, which houses asylum seekers; no one was injured and staff extinguished the blaze before police arrived.
- Mark Neville, 64, of Islington, has been charged with arson with intent to endanger life, possession of weapons and explosives, and other related offences after police found prohibited items at his home.
- Islington Council leader Una O’Halloran and MP Dame Emily Thornberry denounced the attack as “despicable and cowardly,” reaffirming the borough’s commitment to tolerance, diversity, and rejecting hate-fuelled violence.
