Man held under Mental Health Act over UK mosque attacks

A man arrested on suspicion of racially aggravated criminal damage after attacks on five mosques across the city of Birmingham earlier this week has been detained under the UK's Mental Health Act, West Midlands Police said on Sunday.

The 34-year-old handed himself into a Birmingham police station on Friday after counter-terrorism officers launched an investigation into the smashing of windows and vandalism at five mosques in the city.

Local police said that while its investigation continues, they are not seeking anyone else in connection with the attacks and do not believe the man arrested was part of any organised network.

Another 38-year-old man arrested after being detained by members of the community on Friday afternoon will face no further action and has been released without charge, West Midlands Police said in a statement.

 

"We continue to work in partnership with mosques and local communities around the West Midlands. There will be a visual police presence at key locations to offer reassurance to our communities, said Matt Ward, Assistant Chief Constable of the police force.

"It is incredibly important that we unite together against those who seek to create discord, uncertainty and fear," he said.

The attacks, which occurred in the early hours of Thursday morning, came days after the terrorist attack on two mosques in Christchurch, New Zealand, leading to the West Midlands Police's Counter-Terrorism Unit getting involved in the investigation.

The five mosques targeted included Witton Islamic Centre, Masjid Madrassa Faizal Islam, Al Habib Trust, Jamia Mosque, and Jam-E-Masjid Qiblah Hadhrat Sahib Gulhar Shareef.

It led to increased patrols around Islamic places of worship in the city and across the UK.

Police were alerted to a sixth mosque attack on Saturday and said that CCTV is currently being examined and investigations remain ongoing.

However, officers do not believe the latest attack to be linked to the attacks earlier in the week.