Elham Asaad Buaras
A man has been caught on camera throwing bottles at an East London mosque in a “racially or religiously aggravated” incident. The footage, captured by CCTV near the mosque, shows a man throwing what appears to be a glass bottle at Shoreditch Mosque.
The individual seems to hurl one bottle at the mosque before reaching into his pocket and throwing another. Immediately after, he turns around, gets on his bike, and cycles off.
Police have confirmed they were called at around 6.45 pm on May 18 to reports of “an incident of racially/religiously aggravated criminal damage” where a man was seen to throw bottles at the mosque on Redchurch Street, causing damage to the windows.
Police have confirmed that no one was hurt in the incident. In a statement, the Metropolitan Police also said that “No arrest has been made as yet, and enquiries into the circumstances are ongoing led by officers from the Met’s Central East Command Unit. They are releasing an image of a man they wish to trace which was captured on CCTV.”
Adding, ”The local faith officer on the Central East Command Unit is liaising with representatives from the mosque, and officers will provide reassurance patrols in and around the area.”
Councillor Kabir Ahmed asked residents to stay calm and not panic. He tweeted: “I contacted committee members as soon as I heard, I was reassured that no-one was hurt or injured, the matter has been reported to the police, who in turn are investigating. I have written to the Deputy Chief Executive (the person in charge of community safety) and am in contact with officers directly.
”Lastly, I have been in contact with several residents throughout the day and am reassuring residents. I will request that all residents keep calm and not panic.”
Labour MP for Bethnal Green and Bow, Rushanara Ali, wrote, “Very saddened about the criminal damage caused by an attack on Shoreditch Mosque. It is completely unacceptable that a place of worship is targeted in this way. Thanks @MSTowerHam for your assistance and for providing reassurance patrols.”
