Boy, 15, and man, 54, arrested after ‘arson attack’ on east London restaurant

A 15-year-old boy and 54-year-old man have been arrested after a fire at an Indian restaurant in London that was described as a ‘Halloween scene’.

Three women and two men were injured in the suspected arson attack on Indian Aroma in Ilford on Friday.

Two of them – a man and a woman – remain in a life-threatening condition.

The Metropolitan Police made the arrests earlier today, saying that the boy and the man are suspected of arson with intent to endanger life.

Detective chief inspector Mark Rogers said: ‘While two arrests have been made, our investigation continues at pace so we can piece together what happened on Friday evening.

‘I know the community are concerned and shocked by this incident. I would urge anyone with any information or concerns to come forward and speak to police.’

Five people were trapped inside Indian Aroma while nine others managed to escape before firefighters arrived.

One witness said they saw a man whose whole body was burnt and skin was ‘peeling off’.

Hospital porter Edward Thawe, 43, left his nearby home with his 12-year-old son after hearing the shrieks from the restaurant.

The police and ambulance were already at the ‘horrible’ scene, which the dad said was ‘more than scary and the sort of thing that you don’t want to look at twice’.

He added: ‘I heard screaming and people saying they had called the police. I came outside (the shop) and there was a man with his skin peeled off.’

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