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Man charged after Islamic buildings graffitied

News imageGoogle Outside of the Al-Birr Mosque in Leyton. A long brick building, attached to a building which looks like a house. The main building has white columns outside. Google
The Al-Birr Mosque in Leyton, east London, was one of the buildings targeted

A 21-year-old man from Forest Gate, east London, has been charged after five Islamic buildings were sprayed with offensive graffiti in January last year.

Illia Bilyk has been charged with racially and religiously-aggravated criminal damage.

The religious venues targeted included the Al-Birr Mosque and the Noor Ul Islam Primary School, both in Leyton, east London.

Ch Sup Rhona Hunt, who leads policing in the area, said: "We recognise that these incidents caused significant distress within Muslim communities across east London last year and that they continue to cause concern."

She encouraged anyone with concerns, or who has experienced or witnessed anti-Muslim hate crime, to contact police.

Bilyk is due to appear at Thames Magistrates' Court on 17 September.

Stratford Islamic Association, on Brydges Road; Al-Birr Mosque, on Church Road, and Leyton Jamia Masjid, on High Road, were all targeted on 23 January 2025.

Noor Ul Islam Primary School, on Dawlish Road, and Islamic Shariah Council, on Francis Road, were targeted two days later.

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