Police investigating the murder of Khizar Hayat, a London shopkeeper burnt to death in his store in an arson attack last week, have arrested a 33-year-old man, Scotland Yard said today.

The Metropolitan Police said that the man, from the Stockwell area, was being held at a police station in South London.

Mr Hayat died in his Costcutter convenience store in Clapham Road, Kennington, following the attack in broad daylight last Thursday. Another man in the shop at the same time remains in a critical condition in hospital.

Police linked the firebombing attack to attacks on two other stores run by Asians in South London over the past three weeks and warned other shopkeepers to make sure that they had clear exit routes from their shops.

Detective Superintendent Dick Heselden, who is leading the inquiry, said yesterday: "In the absence of any other possible motive, I’m working on the basis that these are racially motivated attacks."

The first took place at a newsagents in Tulse Hill on April 14 at 1.30 pm when a bottle filled with accelerant was thrown into the premises and struck the legs of a customer, who suffered burns. No-one else was injured.

The second incident took place at an off-licence on Portland Road in South Norwood on April 20, where again a lit bottle filled with petrol was thrown into the premises, but those inside managed to get out in time.

In all three attacks, the method had been almost identical and the description of the suspect had matched, according to Mr Heselden.

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