Man admits petrol bomb attack on Islington hotel that was housing migrants
Mark Neville, 65, pleaded guilty at Snaresbrook Crown Court after CCTV showed a masked man throwing a petrol bomb towards the entrance of a hotel on Dingley Road.
A man has admitted throwing a petrol bomb at a hotel in Islington that was housing migrants. He was caught after detectives used CCTV to follow him from the scene to the door of his flat.
Mark Neville, 65, of Pear Tree Street, Islington, pleaded guilty at Snaresbrook Crown Court on Wednesday 28 October. He admitted attempted arson being reckless as to whether life was endangered, possessing a bladed article and possessing a prohibited weapon, a stun gun.
The attack
Officers were called to reports of a fire at a hotel on Dingley Road at 10.53pm on Wednesday 24 September 2025, the Metropolitan Police said.
CCTV released by the force shows a masked man dressed all in black walking up to the hotel entrance. He lights a petrol bomb and throws it over a temporary gate towards the doorway.
Security guards quickly put the fire out and nobody was hurt. The hotel is no longer used to house migrants.
How he was caught
Detectives worked through the following hours to collect CCTV. Over the next day, officers tracked the man on camera from the hotel back to his flat.
Neville was arrested two days after the attack, on Friday 26 September 2025. He was charged the same day.
The investigation was helped by the local community and by a forensic fire dog, which found a glove with his DNA on it in a bin near the hotel. The police said specialist forensic teams also linked his DNA to glass fragments from the petrol bomb.
When searched, his flat held evidence that the police said showed he was likely motivated by hate, and in particular by anger about immigration. This included internet searches on far-right activism and asylum seekers.
In his police interview, Neville said friends often sent him articles about immigration. He also said he had been on marches about it, including one outside the hotel he went on to attack, the Met said.
What the police said
Detective Chief Inspector Paul Ridley, whose team led the investigation, said the attack was "designed to terrify residents and the local community". He added that it "could easily have caused horrific injuries".
Neville is due to be sentenced in December.
Anyone with information about a crime can contact the Metropolitan Police on 101, or 999 in an emergency. Information can be given anonymously to the independent charity Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.