Armed police deployed to Birmingham mosques after suspected catapult attack
Armed police were deployed to two Birmingham mosques after ball bearings, thought to have been fired from a heavy duty catapult, were fired at them – smashing windows as worshippers prayed inside.
Officers arrived at the Masjid Qamarul Islam in Small Heath at 10pm on Wednesday, and at the nearby Al-Hijrah mosque 20 minutes later. Upon arrival, they recovered ball bearings that smashed the mosques’ windows.
An officer stated that the ball bearings appeared to have been fired from a substantial catapult.
The incidents come after Monday’s attack on the Houses of Parliament, which saw 29-year-old Birmingham resident Salih Khater ram pedestrians and cyclists, injuring three, before crashing into a security barrier. Khater remains in custody.
Three properties in the city have so far been searched in relation to Khater.
Nassar Mahmood, a trustee of Birmingham Central Mosque, warned that Muslims are facing “unprecedented” levels of Islamophobia. He added that women are particularly affected because their style of dress makes them “quite visible.”
There has been a reported surge in violence against Muslim women since ex-foreign minister Boris Johnson likened them to letterboxes and bank robbers, sparking accusations of Islamophobia and the opening of an investigation into Johnson by the Conservative Party. Tell Mama, which records hate crimes, said there was a “direct link” between the Johnson’s comments and an uptick in incidents targeting women who wear the niqab – which covers the face and hair, apart from the eyes.
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