The police in the United Kingdom have arrested a 46-year-old man, Matthew Doyle, who boasted on social media about confronting a random Muslim woman in England to explain the carnage in Brussels, in the wake of Tuesday’s terror attacks that left 31 persons dead and 270 others injured.
Hours after the attack on an airport and metro station 400 metres from the European Union parliament in the Belgian capital, Doyle went on Twitter to say how he confronted the woman in Croydon, south London.
He tweeted: “I confronted a Muslim woman in Croydon yesterday. I asked her to explain Brussels. She said ‘nothing to do with me’. A mealy mouthed reply.”
His tweet was met with derision on the micro-blogging platform after it went viral, with many users calling him names for his action.
He later deleted the tweet and said he meant it as a joke.
The police will have none of it however, and they have arrested him for “inciting racial hatred on social media”.
A police spokesman said the man remains in custody.