Greater Manchester Police are continuing to question the man they arrested following the incident at Manchester’s Cebtral Mosque yesterday evening
Police were called after a white man in a high-viz jacket carrying a bag with an axe inside entered the building
“The man had reportedly claimed to be in the mosque to do work on the building, but staff had no knowledge of this.” say police
There was no suggestion that he made any threats or confronted members of the congregation.
“However, we understand the concern that this suspicious and concerning behaviour caused.
“We quickly responded to the scene where we searched the suspect, arrested him and seized weapons, including an axe, a knife and class B drugs.
“The suspect, a white man in his 50s, is under arrest on suspicion of possessing an offensive weapon and class B drugs.
“At this time, it is not clear what the circumstances or intent, if any, was around this incident.
“I know this uncertainty can cause concern, but it is key that we have the time to question the suspect and speak to as many witnesses as possible to understand the nature of this incident.
“To ensure we are appropriately exploring every line of enquiry, we are working with detectives from Counter Terrorism Policing North West, but it has not been declared a terrorist incident.
“We are taking this very seriously and have increased patrols around mosques at what we know is a really important time for Muslim communities as they come together during Ramadan.
“We’re reviewing all available CCTV and body-worn video to identify a second man, a black man, who was reported as acting suspiciously in the mosque at the same time as the suspect.
“He is described as approximately in his late 40s, with an athletic build and short stubbled facial hair. He was wearing a grey hoody with the hood up, a navy blue jacket with that hood also up (double hood), blue tracksuit bottoms, and white trainers.
“If anyone has information about this man do not hesitate to contact police. We will look to release an image of him as soon as we can so you may be better able to assist us with our enquiries.
