British detectives suspect a racial motive is behind a series of arson attacks on shops in London in which one man has died.
The suspect has been linked to three separate attacks on stores run by Asians in south London over the past three weeks, including one in Clapham Road, Kennington, on Thursday which claimed the life of Khizar Hayat.
Mr Hayat was burnt to death when he was trapped in the convenience store following the attack in broad daylight.
Detective Superintendent Dick Heselden of the Metropolitan Police said: "In the absence of any other possible motive, I'm working on the basis that these are racially motivated attacks." He added: "We must catch him before he commits another arson attack in which someone else may be killed."
Mr Heselden said they began looking for linked incidents immediately after the attack in Kennington, where a thick-set black man threw a Molotov cocktail style device into a Costcutter shop on Clapham Road.
Police witnessed the incident from a police station a short distance away and gave chase but lost the suspect.
Mr Heselden said they had now identified two other attacks thought to be linked.
The first took place at a newsagents in Tulse Hill on April 14 when a bottle filled with accelerant was thrown into the premises and struck the legs of a customer, who suffered burns. No-one else was injured.
The second incident took place at an off-licence on Portland Road in South Norwood on April 20, where again a lit bottle filled with petrol was thrown into the premises, but those inside managed to get out in time.
In all three attacks, the method had been almost identical and the description of the suspect had matched, according to Mr Heselden. He is described as black and barrel-chested, aged in his mid-30s and between 5ft 5ins and 5ft 8ins tall. He has a large, wide head and close cropped or shaved hair.
PA