Ahlul Bayt News Agency, KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia -- Four teenagers have been arrested for splashing red paint on a Malaysian mosque in what appeared to be a personal, not religious, attack, police said Tuesday.
The vandalism was in retaliation for a reprimand from a mosque official for playing with firecrackers a day earlier, Negri Sembilan state police chief Osman Salleh was quoted as saying by the official news agency Bernama.
'This has nothing to do with a race or religious issue,' he added.
Worshippers on their way to dawn prayer at the mosque on Monday found red paint splashed across the front wall, floor and door of the mosque. Broken liquor bottles were found on the mosque's lawn.
The incident happened eight months after the country was rocked by a spate of attacks on different houses of worship after the High Court ruled that non-Muslims could use the world 'Allah' to refer to God.
Eleven churches were firebombed, and a Sikh temple and several mosques were attacked, shocking a country which takes pride in its normally moderate attitude.
Politicians and religious figures across the board were quick to condemn Monday's paint attack and call for calm.
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