Celtic chief executive Peter Lawwell has thanked fans of the Scottish Premiership club after receiving thousands of messages following a "devastating attack" at his home. Lawwell and his family fled their property near Glasgow after a fire destroyed three cars and caused significant damage to the garage in the early hours of Wednesday. Police are investigating after CCTV images showed a man pouring accelerant onto the vehicles. Lawwell, who is retiring from his Celtic Park role at the end of June, said in a statement: "This has been a devastating attack on myself and my family, the effects of which will stay with us all for a long time. "I am, of course, extremely relieved that everyone is safe. I would like to thank my wife and my family for their support and for the strength and courage they have shown during such a difficult time." Lawwell said his family had received "literally thousands of messages of support from Celtic fans and from people across the wider global football family". Celtic, who were aiming for a 10th consecutive Scottish league title this season, parted ways with manager Neil Lennon in February and eventually finished 25 points behind newly crowned champions Rangers. jw/dmc