Mosque Fire Reportedly Started By Deep Fryer, Not Hate

An enormous fire that struck a Swedish mosque on Christmas Day was suspected at the time of being a hate crime, but investigators now say it started from a malfunction in a deep fryer.

According to The Local, police initially investigated the fire at the Dawa mosque in Eskilstuna as a crime, and suspected an arsonist of setting the blaze with a firebomb. Five people were reportedly injured in the incident, and there were rumors that a suspect was seen throwing a burning object through a window. Now, however, a police source has reportedly said the fire was actually caused by a deep fryer that overheated on the property.

The police are reportedly still investigating the incident, which was just the first of three mosque fires that broke out in Sweden in the week after Christmas. Those fires are also still under investigation and have not been linked to any malfunctioning kitchen equipment.