Shopkeeper set on fire in arson attack

A shopkeeper suffered horrific burns in a fire at his off-licence in what is believed to have been a revenge attack by a gang of youths he had caught stealing.

Mohammed Amjad, 47, is being treated for serious burns covering most of his body. Witnesses described him turning into a "human fireball".

The father-of-three is understood to have argued with teenage shoplifters at his store on Barking Road, Plaistow, 20 minutes before it went up in flames.

Residents said a group of three young people set fire to the family-run shop before speeding off in a blue Mondeo.

Mr Amjad ran into the street ablaze and screaming. Café owner Hasan Yuka, 55, said: "He was screaming so much. I helped him put out the fire. He was left covered in burns. It's horrific. He is a nice, friendly man."

Mr Amjad is in a stable condition at Chelsea and Westminster Hospital.