An arson attack on a church in east Belfast is being treated as a racially motivated hate crime, the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) has said.

Two masked men used an angle-grinder type tool to cut a hole in the shutters of the Universal Church of the Kingdom of God in Templemore Street shortly before 21:30 BST on Tuesday.

A flammable substance was thrown inside and set alight.

Fire service personnel put out the fire which damaged the shutters and the building’s front hall.

Further smoke damage was also caused inside.

The church, which has been operating in the community since 2012, is part of a network that operates in over 100 countries, with 40 churches across the UK.

It was formed in Brazil in 1977.