A police officer in the eastern Pakistani city of Lahore says hundreds of people attacked a Christian neighborhood and set fire to homes after hearing that a Christian man had committed blasphemy against Islam's prophet, The Associated Press reported.

Multan Khan said Saturday, March 9 that the incident started Friday when a young Muslim man accused a Christian man of committing blasphemy, which is a serious criminal offense in Pakistan that can carry the death penalty.

A large crowd from a nearby mosque went to the Christian man's home on Friday night and Khan said police took the man into custody to try to pacify the crowd.

Fearing for their safety, hundreds of Christian families fled the area overnight.

Khan said the mob returned on Saturday and began ransacking Christian homes and setting them on fire.