- Witnesses to the incident at Regents Park Mosque feared a fresh terror attack
- Man in his thirties, was 'shouting abuse and threats' while 'waving' a weapon
- Some claimed he had a knife or a baseball bat - it emerged it was a shoe horn
- Police arrived at 1.20am and he was Tasered on the pavement outside mosque
- Met Commissioner has put more officers on mosques after Finsbury Park attack
Police Tasered a man waving a shoe horn outside a London mosque today amid heightened tensions after the Finsbury Park terror attack.
The suspect, believed to be in his thirties, was 'shouting abuse and threats' while 'waving' a weapon at Regents Park Mosque in central London during late night Ramadan prayers.
Footage from 1.20am today shows the suspect lying face down with officers pointing Tasers at him.
He was then shot with 50,000 volts as officers pushed worshippers back before putting him in the back of a van and speeding him away.
The incident sparked fears the Muslim community was under attack again, with some believing he had a knife or a baseball bat.
But it emerged he was brandishing a shoe horn taken from inside the mosque and Scotland Yard say the incident is not believed to be terror related.
He was arrested on suspicion of affray and taken into custody at a central London police station.
Officers say they are not treating it as a terror related incident.
Assistant Secretary General of the Muslim Council of Britain, Miqdaad Versi, tweeted this morning: 'Apparently perpetrator may be a Muslim revert with a history mental illness, having an episode #RegentsPark'.
The attacker who was Tasered outside Regents Park Mosque was a worshipper there, a family friend claims.
Rodiya Riyadh said the man suffers from mental health problems and had 'an episode' as he went to pray.
She said: 'He is actually a Muslim with mental health issues. If anything he's more of a threat to himself, he came to the mosque with friends for prayers and then had an episode.
'I know everyone is on edge but this guy honestly has a long history with mental health issues.'
After the incident was over he added: 'Everyone is fine this time the security team done an exceptional job and credit to the police came within a minute'.
Maria Idrissi tweeted footage of the arrest and said: 'Regents park mosque now I just don't understand this world'.
She added: 'He went into Regent's Park mosque during taraweeh [Ramadan prayers] and tried to attack a man but luckily stopped by police and detained outside'.
Police have increased patrols close to mosques and arrived quickly at the scene this morning.
A Met Police spokesman said: 'The item being waved was found to be a shoe horn taken from the mosque.
'The incident is not being treated as terrorism-related at this time. Officers are keeping an open mind regarding any motivation for the incident.' There were no reports of anyone injured, he added.
Commissioner Cressida Dick has authorised for an additional 1,867 officers - a total of 6,400 - across the capital to be equipped with tasers following the increase in violent crime.
Commissioner Dick said: 'Keeping the public safe from harm is at the heart of our job.
'With this uplift, my officers will be better equipped to protect the public and themselves.
'We know that the mere presence of a taser is often enough to defuse a dangerous situation and often get a suspect to drop their weapon if they're armed.
'Taser reduces the need for physical contact and also the risk of unintended or unnecessary injuries to all parties.
'With the roll-out of body worn camera to every uniformed officer, the public can also rest assured that the use of taser is correctly recorded and monitored and that the use of it is subject to comprehensive scrutiny.'
No comments:
Post a Comment