A man has been arrested on suspicion of grievous bodily harm over an assault on a worshipper outside a mosque in Leyton, east London.
Police reached the scene after reports of a racially aggravated assault at Noor Ul Islam mosque on Leyton High Road, Waltham Forest, at around 22:00 BST (British Summer Time) on Tuesday, July 7.
The mosque said that CCTV (Close-Circuit Television) footage showed the victim, who is in his 50s, being targeted at random by the suspect as he left the mosque after evening prayers.
Police said that the suspect, who is 42, was arrested and remains in hospital after suffering a head injury during the alleged assault.
Aslam Hansa, operations manager at the mosque, said that CCTV footage recorded before the attack appeared to show the suspect shouting racist and Islamophobic obscenities outside the building.
A video filmed by a witness after the incident appears to show the victim with a head injury and blood on his clothing.
A Met Police spokesperson said that officers who reached the scene found a man in his 50s had been assaulted and subjected to racist abuse. The spokesperson added that the victim’s injuries were assessed as neither life threatening nor life changing. The mosque said that the victim has been discharged from the hospital.
Hansa told a private media outlet that the CCTV showed the suspect leaving the scene and then returning. He described the man as carrying a white bag “with something heavy in it.”
He said that the regular congregation at the mosque had been left “shaken up” by the incident. “The congregation is very worried,” he said. “Is this a lone wolf or a team targeting Muslims?”
Hansa added: “The mosque has been here 35 years, we get on with the local community, we get on with everyone, there are no issues.”
He also said that the mosque runs a pre school for children and that parents are “very worried.”
Hansa noted that the local community had been “really supportive” and said the support had been helpful. He said that he had spoken to the worshipper who was attacked on the phone and said:
“There were no major injuries thankfully, he’s shaken, he’s upset, he seemed okay though.”
The Met Police said that it has increased patrols in the area, adding: “We take reports of racially motivated hate crime extremely seriously and recognise the profound impact such incidents can have on victims. Officers are committed to bringing those who commit such offences to justice. We know the community will be concerned about this incident and we have stepped up reassurance patrols in the local area. We would urge anyone with concerns to speak to officers.”
