People gather at Imam Ali Islamic Center in Stockholm in solidarity with Muslims after mosque arson

The center, which is Sweden’s largest Shia Muslim mosque, was badly damaged in the arson attack last week.

The participants in the gathering, held at the conference hall of the center, condemned the attack and voiced concern over possible repetition of such incidents.

The gathering began with recitation of verses from the Holy Quran, followed by speeches by Alice Bah Kuhnke, Swedien’s Minister of Culture and Democracy as well as a number of police chiefs.

The speakers voiced support for the Muslim community and slammed the arson attack on the mosque.

Hojat-ol-Islam Hakim Elahi, the director of the Imam Ali (AS) Islamic Center then took the podium and thanked the participants for their support.

Several mosques in Sweden have been the target of arson attacks in recent years but few of the perpetrators have been caught.

In April last year, a 31-year-old man identified through CCTV footage was jailed for three years for racially-aggravated arson after admitting setting fire to a mosque in the southwestern town of Boras.

Swedish anti-racism campaigners protested in January 2015 after a trio of arson attacks on mosques in the Nordic country.