British police are investigating the vandalism of Muslim grave plaques in the town of Watford, near London, as an Islamophobic hate crime.
The cemetery site, located off Oxhey Lane, is owned by Brent Council. Its leader, Muhammed Butt, said that grieving families and the community were in shock.
About 85 graves, including those of babies and children, were targeted at Carpenders Park Lawn Cemetery, which is designated for Muslim burials.
On Wednesday, Hertfordshire Police appealed to the public for information relating to the crime, which they said happened between 1pm on Friday and 5pm on Saturday.
The head of Hertfordshire’s Local Policing Command, Chief Superintendent Jon Simpson, said: “We are continuing to investigate every line of inquiry into this terrible crime, which we are now treating as an Islamophobic act.”
The police “are confident that, sadly, this was a religiously motivated act.”
In his remarks, the chair of the Hertfordshire Association of Muslim Police, Sergeant Irfan Ishaq, said, “We recognize that news of this crime will not only impact the Muslim community but those from all walks of life.”
He said a police presence would be maintained in and around the cemetery.
