Businessman jailed over revenge petrol bomb attacks

Offender was angry over footage showing his brother being attacked

A Fife businessman who petrol bombed two houses in a revenge attack has been jailed for 16 years.

Naveed Iqbal hurled lit petrol-filled bottles through the windows of homes in Alexander Road and Adrian Road in Glenrothes after footage of his brother being attacked at a McDonald’s restaurant appeared online.

Thirteen people, including eight children aged between 13 months and 13 years, were inside the houses and were forced to flee.

A 16-year-old boy was badly burned as he dragged his terrified brothers and sisters from their burning home in Adrian Road and has been left permanently scarred.

He was hailed a hero by his uncle, who said the entire family had gone through a traumatic experience.

“He could have lost his life,” he said. “To me he is a hero. He saved his family’s life.

“No 16-year-old boy should have to go through that.”

No-one in the other house was injured. Iqbal, 34, of Leven, was found guilty of two counts of attempted murder at the High Court in Glasgow last month.

He was jailed yesterday for what judge Lord Kinclaven described as “extremely serious crimes”.

He continues to protest his innocence. The court heard Iqbal’s younger brother had been the victim of an assault and a clip of the incident appeared on Facebook.

Iqbal, who runs a car repair firm, said in evidence: “I was a wee bit upset watching it. I was angry.”

He denied swearing vengeance on the people responsible, however, and claimed he had not been aware of any petrol bomb attacks until the next day.

The injured 16-year-old had been at home in Adrian Road with his parents and his brothers and sisters when the blaze broke out at 11.40pm on Tuesday March 28.

The attack came just 10 minutes after another family had to run from their home in Alexander Road.

While they were able to return the following day, the teenager and his family lost everything and had to seek temporary accommodation.

Detective Inspector Paul Dick said Iqbal’s actions could have had catastrophic consequences.

“CCTV proved invaluable in this inquiry, as did the support of the local community,” he said.

Naveed Iqbal denied swearing vengeance on the people responsible for the assault on his brother.