UK police on Wednesday said that a suspect arrested for setting a man on fire as he left a mosque had been linked to a similar attack last month.

The suspect was arrested on Tuesday after an attack in which police believe the victim was sprayed with an unknown substance and set alight as he walked home the previous evening from a mosque in Birmingham in central England.

Counter-terrorism police were involved in the investigation that led to his arrest. Police linked the attack to one in Ealing, London, on February 27, in which an 82-year-old man was set on fire outside a mosque.

"The man has been arrested on suspicion of two counts of attempted murder," said West Midlands Police. "We completely understand the shock that resonated throughout the community following this incident," said Chief Superintendent Sean Wilson.

"Despite a man having been arrested, we continue to be vigilant and urge local people to do the same." In the Birmingham attack, the victim suffered burns to his face and was taken to hospital with serious but not life-threatening injuries.

In the earlier London incident, the suspect engaged the victim in conversation before dousing him in what is believed to be petrol and setting him alight, according to police. The victim was treated for severe burns to his face and arms.