A 36-year-old man who had a swastika painted on his forehead when he allegedly attacked a mother and her teenage daughter has been arrested and charged.

WA Police say the man approached the 40-year-old woman and her 15-year-old child near Corfield Shopping Centre in Gosnells, south of Perth, last Saturday.

It is alleged the man yelled racial slurs before spraying a can of deodorant and lighting it, turning it into a makeshift flamethrower.

The man allegedly shouted racial obscenities before attacking. Photo: Supplied/WA Police

The man allegedly fled on foot, leaving the mother with minor burns.

He was arrested overnight after a member of the public spotted him in Gosnells and called police.

He will appear in the Perth Magistrates Court today charged with conduct intended to racially harass and committing an unlawful act with intent to harm.

-ABC