Man arrested after London mosque attack

A man has been arrested on suspicion of attempted murder after a stabbing inside a London mosque yesterday.

The victim, in his 70s, was injured in what The Sun describes as a “chilling attack” at London Central Mosque, near Regent's Park.

He was taken to hospital where his condition has been assessed as non-life threatening.

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A 29-year-old man was apprehended by worshippers who restrained him until officers arrived. The Daily Mail says the man is of east European origin. Police are not treating the incident as terror-related.

The mosque said the injured man was the muezzin, the person who makes the call to prayer, and he had been stabbed shortly after 3pm during afternoon prayer.

An eyewitness, Abi Watik, said: “[The guy] got a knife for no reason. I have seen him many times. We heard the Muezzin, he was screaming. We did not know what was going on.

“He had lots of blood. He stabbed him one time. It was like a small kitchen knife, about five inches. Twenty people jumped on him. One person kicked him in the back then he put him on the floor.”

A photograph of the victim smiling in hospital with a bandage on his wound has been published this morning.

The Archbishop of Canterbury said: “My sympathy is with those in shock after the stabbing at the London Central Mosque. Please join me in praying for healing for the victim and for peace across our communities.”

Prime Minister Boris Johnson tweeted: “I'm deeply saddened to hear of the attack at the London Central Mosque.” Mayor of London Sadiq Khan said he was “deeply concerned by the incident”.

British Muslims have been the target of past attacks by far-right extremists in recent years. In June 2017, an attacker drove a van into a crowd of people leaving evening prayers at another London mosque.

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