A racially motivated arson attack gutted a former gospel hall on Belfast's Shankill Road early on Saturday, police said, destroying the premises that was being converted into an Indian supermarket by a local couple.

The fire service was called to the scene around 2.45am. The building, which had been vacant for five years, was recently purchased by an Indian couple who lived in the area and planned to open a shop selling vegetables, rice and spices. They are Hindu and had said they would not sell any meat, according to DUP MLA Brian Kingston.

PSNI Superintendent Finola Dornan stated the owners were legitimate business people who would have provided jobs. She said the crime was motivated by hate and the police would provide enhanced supervision and support, adding that tackling hate crime requires wider societal action beyond policing alone.

Political representatives condemned the attack. Mr Kingston expressed dismay, noting that the project would have contributed to the Shankill's regeneration and that those responsible had damaged the community. He said there had been intimidation and false rumours spread online before the fire.

West Belfast MP Paul Maskey called the targeting of the building because of its owners' background despicable, emphasising that the area needed investment. He said there was no room for hate crime, racism or sectarianism.

People Before Profit MLA Gerry Carroll described the fire as a racist act, saying the owner had seen his life savings destroyed. He linked the attack to weeks of online hostility towards the proposed shop.

The incident was raised at Stormont later, where Mr Carroll accused TUV councillor Ron McDowell of promoting a racist conspiracy theory in the lead-up to the fire. TUV MLA Timothy Gaston rejected the charge and said Mr Carroll and other nationalist representatives were only engaging with the Shankill community after the crisis, which he argued did not ease tensions.

UUP leader Jon Burrows called the perpetrators cowards and said they were not true loyalists. He expressed strong support for the Indian couple, stating they were welcome and deserved protection under the law.