Police arrest man for arson attempt at Shahzad Akbar’s Cambridge home

LONDON: Armed officers from Essex Police have arrested a man in East London in connection with an arson attempt at Shahzad Akbar’s Cambridge address on New Year’s Eve — when he was away from his home with his family.

The 34-year-old man was arrested early on Monday, January 5, in Essex during a raid by several armed police officers, acting on intelligence, a police source told Brackly News.

The arrest was carried out by armed officers from Essex Police, and the investigation is being led by officers from Counter Terrorism Policing (CTP) London.

A Counter Terrorism Policing (CTP) London spokesman told Brackly News: “He was arrested on suspicion of attempted arson and possession of a firearm and taken to a police station in London before being released on bail until pending further enquiries.”

“The arrest relates to an incident at an address in Cambridge on 31 December, 2025. At approximately 4pm, two men are believed to have broken a window at the property, which was unoccupied at the time. One of the suspects then attempted to throw a burning rag through the window, although it fell to the floor outside the property and did not cause any damage. Both suspects are described as men, dressed in black clothing and hooded tops.”

“Due to the apparently highly targeted nature of this incident, it is being investigated by officers from CTP London. Detectives from CTP London are also investigating an incident that took place at the same address in Cambridge on 24 December, where a man in his 50s was assaulted outside the property. The investigation was passed to CTP London due to what appears to be the highly targeted nature of the assault against the victim.”

“At this stage, detectives retain an open mind as to any potential motivation behind either of the incidents. Officers are also keeping an open mind as to whether the two incidents are directly linked, although this remains an active line of inquiry being considered. There is not believed to be any wider threat to the public in connection with the incidents.”

Officers from CTP London are jointly investigating attacks on YouTubers Adil Raja and Akbar two weeks ago in Chesham and Cambridge in what appears to be coordinated attacks on the duo.

Youtuber Major (retired) Raja in Chesham and Akbar in Cambridge came under attack at the same time on December 24, 2025. Raja’s house was broken into and ransacked by two men in Chesham, Buckinghamshire.

Sources have told Brackly News that a burglary attempt was made at Raja’s Home at around 8am on December 24 and Akbar was assaulted at 8:08am when he opened the front door. Chesham and Cambridge are around 60 miles apart. The two men ransacked the house.