Man charged after allegedly entering Manchester mosque with axe | UK news
A man who allegedly entered a mosque in Manchester with an ax has been charged with possession of an offensive weapon.
Darren Connor, 55, was arrested at the Manchester Central mosque in Rusholme on Tuesday after police were alerted that he and another man had entered the premises and were acting suspiciously. Police said the second man was not charged in connection with the incident but was charged with an unrelated breach of the criminal conduct code.
Connor was also charged with possession of class B drugs and will appear at Manchester and Salford magistrates court on the morning of February 27.
Hamad Khan, the head of the mosque, said earlier that a man wearing a hi-vis jacket entered the mosque around 8.30pm on Tuesday, where around 1,500 people were performing Ramadan prayers. Khan said the man was taken to an office and police were called after an ax was seen in his bag.
Manchester police previously said they were in contact with counter-terrorism police in the north-west but had not declared the incident as a possible terrorist incident.
Speaking after the incident, GMP deputy chief constable John Webster said: “This is a time when Muslims come together to celebrate Ramadan. They need to feel safe in places of worship. As with all religious holidays, we pay more attention to places of worship during this period.”
“We are increasing patrols to provide safety and reassurance to our Muslim community. Our officers will be on 12-hour shifts to do this in the short term.”
