Man charged over Dublin mosque arson attack says he fled Iran after rejecting Islam
An Iranian national charged with arson at a Dublin mosque claims he fled Iran to escape persecution for rejecting Islam. The court proceedings are currently delayed due to a lack of legal representation caused by industrial action.
Why it matters
The case highlights the intersection of immigration, religious tension, and the challenges within the Irish legal aid system.
A SELF-DESCRIBED ACTIVIST charged over the arson of a mosque in Dublin has told a court he left Iran a decade ago to escape torture and hanging for rejecting Islam.
Saeid Khosroabadi (41) of Seville Place, Dublin 1, was arrested following a blaze at the doorway of the Faizan E Madinah Mosque on Talbot Street, in the north inner city, just before 3.30pm on 29 June.
It is alleged the Iranian national, who calls himself an anti-Islam activist, told gardaí he was opposed to sharia law in Ireland and did not care if children died in the fire.
Khosroabadi is charged with committing arson, causing criminal damage at the mosque.
The offence, on conviction, is punishable by a 10-year sentence.
Bail was denied on 1 July, when he was remanded in custody, and he appeared again at Cloverhill District Court on Wednesday.
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