Wife of pensioner set alight as he left a mosque reveals she 'hasn't found the courage to visit him'

The wife of a pensioner who was set alight after leaving a Birmingham mosque has revealed that she has been left so distraught by the attack that she has been unable to visit him in hospital.

Mohammed Rayaz, 70, was sprayed with an unknown substance and set alight on Monday evening moments after he had left Dudley Road Mosque, where he is a regular worshipper.

Speaking for the first time, his wife Rifat Bibi told MailOnline: ‘It’s all too much for me, I’m completely devastated and fear that my husband has suffered life-changing injuries.

‘I’ve not been able to find the courage to visit him in hospital. We had a video call but I wasn’t even able to look at him. I was too upset to talk. He’s covered in bandages, can’t see anything and can barely hear. I just don’t understand how anybody could do something like this to him?

She added: ‘Since the attack I’ve not even left my home. My sons are taking it in turns to be at his bedside but I won’t be visiting. I can’t stand the thought of seeing my husband like this.’

West Midlands Police said Mohammed Abbkr, 28, from Edgbaston in Birmingham, would appear at Coventry Magistrates Court on Thursday.

A West Midlands Police spokesperson said: ‘We continue to ask anyone with CCTV, ring doorbell footage or video footage that could help our investigation to send this to us directly.

‘This was a joint investigation between West Midlands Police, Counter Terrorism Policing and the Metropolitan Police.

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