A 56-year-old man has been arrested in connection with a replica mosque built atop a loyalist bonfire in Co Tyrone. The Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) detained the suspect under Article 9 of the Public Order (NI) Order 1987, and he remains in custody.

The model was visible in Moygashel on the morning of Thursday, July 9, and is due to be set alight ahead of the Orange Order demonstrations on Monday. It is made up of stacks of wooden pallets, with signs reading “Secure our borders” and “End the threat of radical Islam” hanging off the sides.

Amnesty International’s Northern Ireland Director Patrick Corrigan described the “vile display” as a “blatant attempt to stir up anti-Muslim hatred and intimidate local families”.

“The placing of an effigy of a mosque on top of a bonfire amounts to incitement to hatred directed at real people who live, work and raise families in Northern Ireland,” he continued.

“It is a crime under Northern Ireland law to distribute materials that are intended or likely to stir up racial or religious hatred or arouse fear. The police must investigate this as a potential crime, identify and hold to account those responsible, and ensure this material is swiftly removed before it can be used to incite further hatred and violence.”

Northern Ireland Secretary of State Hilary Benn echoed these sentiments, saying it is a “sickening and cowardly act of intimidation”.

“This is not about tradition, and in no way does it represent the vast majority of people in Northern Ireland,” he added. “We must stand united and completely reject such hatred”.

The same bonfire site faced similar condemnation last year, after an effigy of a migrant boat carrying over a dozen life-sized mannequins was placed atop the wooden structure and set ablaze. There were also banners attached to the pallets, reading “Stop the boats” and “veterans before refugees”.