German mosque targeted in firebomb attack

SINSHEIM, Germany, Nov 18 (AFP) - A mosque in southern Germany has been damaged in an overnight attack with a molotov cocktail, the prosecutor's office in Heidelberg said on Thursday.
Investigators said a bottle filled with flammable liquid was thrown at the main entrance of the mosque in Sinsheim but it rebounded from a pane of glass above the wooden door and burst into flames on the ground.
A local resident saw the flames and put out the fire, which did not cause any damage inside the mosque.
The cost of the damage to the outside of the mosque has been estimated at 10,000 euros (13,000 dollars).
The attack comes amid fears in Germany that a wave of anti-Muslim violence that followed the murder of the filmmaker Theo van Gogh in the neighbouring Netherlands could spread over the border.
Germany is home to more than three million Muslims, including 1.9 million Turks.

11/18/2004 16:02 GMT - AFP