A 65-year-old man has admitted throwing a petrol bomb at a north London hotel that was housing migrants, in an attack detectives say was driven by hate.
Mark Neville, from Islington, pleaded guilty at Snaresbrook Crown Court on Wednesday 28 October to attempted arson, being reckless as to whether life would be endangered, the Metropolitan Police said. He also admitted possessing a bladed article and possessing a prohibited weapon, a stun gun, in a private place.
No one was hurt in the attack. Security guards at the hotel on Dingley Road put out the flames. The Met said the building is no longer used to accommodate migrants.
A masked figure at the gate
Police were called to the hotel at 10.53pm on 24 September 2025 after reports of a fire. CCTV footage showed a masked man dressed in black throwing a lit petrol bomb over a temporary gate towards the entrance, according to the Met.
Detectives then trawled through hundreds of hours of camera footage and traced the man’s route from the hotel back to a flat. A specialist fire investigation dog found a glove in a bin close to the hotel, which carried Neville’s DNA. Forensic examiners also linked his DNA to fragments of glass from the device itself.
Neville was arrested on 26 September 2025, two days after the attack, and was charged the same day. He was originally charged with arson with intent to endanger life, criminal damage and other offences, the Met and the Evening Standard reported.
Searches about migrants and far-right activists
When officers examined devices taken from his home, they found internet searches and messages about far-right activists, migration and asylum seekers, the Met said.
According to the force, Neville at first denied any involvement and told officers he had been visiting a friend who has dementia. When he was shown the evidence from his devices, he admitted he was the man seen in the footage, before declining to answer further questions.
Detective Chief Inspector Paul Ridley, whose team led the inquiry, said Neville had fire-bombed the hotel in an attack designed to terrify residents and the wider community. He said that after his arrest Neville had tried to deny his guilt, but officers uncovered overwhelming evidence that hate was his motive. DCI Ridley added that police remain determined to protect Londoners.
A tense backdrop
Hotels used to house people seeking asylum have been the focus of protests in parts of Britain over the past two years, and the Home Office has repeatedly come under political pressure over their use. Several hotels were targeted during the disorder of summer 2024. The Islington case is a reminder of how quickly such tension can spill into violence, and of the risk to residents, staff and security guards inside these buildings.
In Ireland, too, buildings earmarked for International Protection accommodation have been targeted in arson attacks in recent years, and gardaí have repeatedly warned that such attacks put lives at risk.
What happens next
Neville will be sentenced at a later date; neither the Met nor media reports have given a sentencing date. Attempted arson reckless as to endangering life is a serious offence that can carry a lengthy prison term, and a judge can treat hostility based on race or nationality as an aggravating factor when deciding the sentence. It has not been reported whether the original, more serious charge of arson with intent to endanger life will remain on file. We will update this story when he is sentenced.
Sources
- Metropolitan Police: Man convicted of petrol bomb attack on migrant hotel (29 October 2026)
- Evening Standard via AOL: Horrifying moment man throws petrol bomb at migrant hotel in north London (29 October 2026)
- Rayo (Bauer Media): Man convicted after petrol bomb attack on migrant hotel in Islington (29 October 2026)
- Counter Terror Business: Man convicted of petrol bomb attack on hotel (29 October 2026)
Featured image: photo by Kevin Grieve on Unsplash.
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