A strange attack took place outside Birmingham prison the other day, when 2 or 3 masked men arrived on the parking lot and set vehicles on fire. They fled right afterwards.
CCTV cameras from a nearby building captured the moment 3 men arrived on the scene in a Volkswagen Golf, started the blaze and then made away in their escape vehicle, the BBC reports. G4S security staff who tried to tackle the attackers say that only 2 of the men were actively starting the fire.
According to the police report, the men arrived in the parking lot and started dousing the cars in liquid. They were interrupted by G4S security staff, which is when one of them pulled out a gun and threatened the security guards.
They continued with what they were doing and started the fire, fleeing the scene through a hole in the fence they had made upon entering the perimeter. Prison staff told the police the fire started explosions, which they best described as a “firebomb,” with tires popping and windscreens shattering.
The West Midlands Fire Service sent 2 fire trucks to contain the blaze. No one was injured in the attack, and the police are investigating the case. For the time being, though, they are completely in the dark.
“Firearms officers were at the prison within minutes, but the offenders had already fled,” Det. Con James Farrell explains for the BBC. “The motive for the attack is unclear, but we are trawling CCTV to trace the car which made off from the scene.”
“Nobody has been injured. West Midlands Police and the fire service are in attendance, and a fire has been extinguished,” HMP Birmingham director Rob Kellett adds.
The report doesn’t mention how many cars were destroyed in the fire, but based on photos made available, at least 3 were totaled and other 3 damaged.
According to the police report, the men arrived in the parking lot and started dousing the cars in liquid. They were interrupted by G4S security staff, which is when one of them pulled out a gun and threatened the security guards.
They continued with what they were doing and started the fire, fleeing the scene through a hole in the fence they had made upon entering the perimeter. Prison staff told the police the fire started explosions, which they best described as a “firebomb,” with tires popping and windscreens shattering.
The West Midlands Fire Service sent 2 fire trucks to contain the blaze. No one was injured in the attack, and the police are investigating the case. For the time being, though, they are completely in the dark.
“Firearms officers were at the prison within minutes, but the offenders had already fled,” Det. Con James Farrell explains for the BBC. “The motive for the attack is unclear, but we are trawling CCTV to trace the car which made off from the scene.”
“Nobody has been injured. West Midlands Police and the fire service are in attendance, and a fire has been extinguished,” HMP Birmingham director Rob Kellett adds.
The report doesn’t mention how many cars were destroyed in the fire, but based on photos made available, at least 3 were totaled and other 3 damaged.