Two mosques in Birmingham were targeted with heavy-duty catapults and ball bearings overnight, police said today.
Armed police officers have been deployed outside the mosques, they said.
West Midlands Police were called to Masjid Qamarul Islam in Small Heath area of the city at around 10pm (local time) and then to Al-Hijrah mosque nearby around 20 minutes later.
Police said they had recovered some ball bearings which appeared to have been fired from catapults, which smashed windows during evening prayers.
"Firearms officers were deployed as a precaution, but the bearings recovered are thought to be from a heavy-duty catapult," West Midlands Police said in a statement.
"The reason for the attacks aren't clear at this stage, but officers are continuing to patrol the area to reassure worshippers and local residents," the statement said.
Imam Usman Hussain, from Masjid Qamarul Islam, said people were "frightened" as windows were smashed.
"Worshippers thought they were under attack by someone with a gun. We heard a loud bang, people were very frightened, there was a sense of panic, but we don't know what the motive was," he said.
The incidents come in the wake of 29-year-old Sudanese-origin British Muslim, Salih Khater, being arrested on suspicion of terror offences in London after he smashed through security barriers outside Parliament in London on Tuesday, injuring three people.
A trustee of Birmingham Central Mosque, Nassar Mahmood, said Muslims are facing "unprecedented" levels of Islamophobia in the UK at present and urged the media not to speculate on the reasons behind the most recent suspected terror attack happened.
"We would ask you to be cautious of apportioning blame to the Muslim community," he said.
Clifford had previously pleaded guilty to the murders of BBC sports commentator John Hunt’s wife and two daughters at their home in northwest of London, in July 2024. (Photo: Hertfordshire Police /Handout via REUTERS)
Crossbow murderer found guilty of raping ex-girlfriend
A 26-YEAR-OLD man who murdered three women in a crossbow and stabbing attack has been found guilty of raping one of them, his ex-girlfriend, a British court ruled on Thursday.
Kyle Clifford had previously pleaded guilty to the murders of BBC sports commentator John Hunt’s wife and two daughters at their home in Bushey, northwest of London, in July 2024.
The attack led to a manhunt before Clifford was found injured hours later in a north London cemetery.
A jury at Cambridge Crown Court on Thursday convicted Clifford of raping 25-year-old Louise Hunt before killing her.
His sentencing for all the crimes is scheduled for Tuesday.
Clifford had admitted to murdering Carol Hunt, 61, and her daughters Louise and Hannah, 28. He had also pleaded guilty to charges of false imprisonment and possessing offensive weapons but denied raping Louise.
During the trial, the court heard that after killing Carol Hunt, Clifford waited for an hour before attacking Louise, tying her up, raping her, and then killing her with a crossbow. He later killed Hannah when she returned home from work.
The prosecution described Clifford, a former soldier, as committing a "violent, sexual act of spite" and said he was "enraged" after Louise ended their 18-month relationship. They told the court that he had "carefully planned" the attack.
Less than 24 hours before the killings, Clifford had searched for a podcast by social media influencer Andrew Tate, according to the prosecution. They argued that the murders were driven by the "violent misogyny promoted" by Tate.
Justice Joel Bennathan called Clifford’s crimes "dreadful" and "almost unspeakable".
(With inputs from AFP)