Police arrest second man after ‘serious security incident’ at Manchester mosque | UK News
Police have arrested a second man after a “serious security incident” at a mosque in Manchester during Ramadan prayers.
The first suspect, a man in his 50s, entered Manchester Central Mosque in the Victoria Park area of south Manchester, at around 8.40pm on Tuesday evening.
He was wearing hi-vis clothing and was said to have had an axe, a knife and a hammer with him.
The man was arrested at the mosque and remains in custody.
He is being held on suspicion of possessing an offensive weapon and class B drugs.
Greater Manchester Police (GMP) had been continuing to search for a black male, who is believed to have been with the suspect but left before officers arrived.
On Thursday, a GMP spokesperson said a man in his 20s had been arrested suspicion of conspiracy to commit a section 18 assault, and he remains in police custody for questioning.
Police speak to members of the local community outside Manchester Central Mosque. Pic: PA
The force said there was no intelligence to suggest the incident posed a wider threat to the community, and officers are not looking for any further suspects.
GMP’s assistant chief constable John Webster said on Thursday: “Our investigation has been working at pace, leading to us making an arrest for the outstanding man this morning. Detectives will be conducting interviews with him today.
“We continue to take this incident seriously and have been granted extra time by the courts to question the first man, so we can thoroughly explore all possible lines of enquiry into the circumstances.”
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The chairman of the mosque said on Wednesday that volunteers had kept the suspect talking until police arrived and arrested him.
Hammad Khan said the man was “very calm” and had been spotted visiting the mosque before.
However, after entering the building on Tuesday, an axe was spotted in his bag, and he was ushered into an office by volunteers and the police were called.
Mr Khan added he had asked police for an increased presence around all mosques in the area after a rise in hate mail and threats.
He said: “I stressed, prior to the month of Ramadan, we needed police presence because prayers go on to late at night.”
Although no one was hurt in the incident, it prompted Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer to express his concern, noting it would be “worrying for Muslim communities”.
