Second suspect arrested after man with axe reportedly entered Manchester mosque

Man in 20s arrested on Thursday after man in 40s reportedly carrying weapons apprehended at scene on Tuesday

A second suspect has been arrested after a man allegedly entered Manchester Central Mosque with an axe and a knife on Tuesday.

Greater Manchester police announced on Thursday that a man in his 20s had been arrested on suspicion of conspiracy to commit a section 18 assault in relation to the incident.

Police were called to the mosque in Rusholme at 8.40pm on 24 February after reports that a man had entered the mosque and was “carrying an offensive weapon”.

A white man in his 40s was apprehended at the scene on suspicion of carrying an offensive weapon and possession of class B drugs. A witness reported that worshippers hit the man with a fire extinguisher and restrained him.

Greater Manchester police had been continuing to search for a black male who was reported as acting suspiciously in the mosque at the same time.

No one was injured during the incident, but more than 5,000 worshippers who had been carrying out Taraweeh, a night prayer performed during Ramadan, had to evacuate the mosque, according to the witness.

Both suspects remain in custody for questioning. Police said they did not believe there was a wider threat to the community and they were not looking for further suspects.

John Webster, a Greater Manchester police assistant chief constable, said: “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 inquiry into the circumstances.”

The president of the mosque, Hammad Khan, said a man wearing a hi-vis jacket had entered the mosque at about 8.30pm. He was ushered into an office and police were called after an axe was spotted in his bag, he said.

Khan said he had asked for an increased police presence around all the local mosques 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.”

Keir Starmer said he was concernedto hear of the incident, adding: “I know this will be worrying for Muslim communities, especially during Ramadan, a time of peace and reflection.”