Home of Labour councillor 'firebombed with hand sanitiser'

3 August 2020, 17:16

Ian Henderson tells LBC he's "really shaken" after home was "firebombed"

A Labour councillor in London has claimed his home was firebombed with bottles of hand sanitiser.

Ian Henderson told LBC someone had tied two bottles of the substance together before setting them on fire and pushing them through his letterbox.

"I don’t know if [my partner] chucked a bucket of water over it, or chucked it in the sink, but basically there was two bottles of alcoholic hand sanitiser that were wrapped inside a red T-shirt and set on fire and put through the door," he said.

The councillor, who represents the borough of Kensington and Chelsea where the Grenfell tragedy took place, told LBC's Rachael Venables: “It’s just really shocking isn’t it, especially after we’ve had a little bit to do with Grenfell Tower so it’s equally as scary basically.

“Because it’s fire, it’s really shaken me, I’m shaken inside. Anything to do with fire these days just sends you over the edge and I’m really shaken up because you think, well who would do that, who would really want to burn us alive in our houses? I’m just really shocked.”

The Met Police said: "Police were called to a residential address in Sutton Estate, SW3, at 15.18hrs on Monday, 3 August to reports of an attempted arson. Officers attended.

"It was reported that two bottles of flammable liquid wrapped in cloth had been posted through a letter box. The fire had been extinguished before officers attended.

"There were no reported injuries.

"A crime scene is in place. There have been no arrests. Enquiries continue."