Policemen stand guard outside the London Central Mosque after a stabbing incident in London, Britain, Feb. 20, 2020. A man has been arrested at the scene on suspicion of attempted murder after reports of a stabbing in a mosque in London, the Metropolitan Police confirmed Thursday. (Photo by Ray Tang/Xinhua)
LONDON, Feb. 20 (Xinhua) -- A man has been arrested at the scene on suspicion of attempted murder after reports of a stabbing in a mosque in London, the Metropolitan Police confirmed Thursday.
Police were called to the mosque near Regents Park in London at 3.10 p.m. (1510 GMT) following reports of the stabbing, said the Metropolitan Police on Twitter.
London Ambulance workers also rushed to the scene, where they found an injured man in his 70s, and treated him before taking the man to hospital. His condition has been assessed as non life-threatening.
A Twitter user posted footage of a white man wearing a red top and jeans, sitting crossed-legged in the mosque, apparently being held in cuffs behind his back by a police officer.
A crime scene has been put in place as inquiries continue. Detectives investigating the incident do not believe it to be terror-related, according to the police.
"I'm deeply saddened to hear of the attack at the London Central Mosque. It's so awful that this should happen, especially in a place of worship. My thoughts are with the victim and all those affected," British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said on Twitter shortly after the incident.
According to local media, the attacker was a regular visitor to the mosque. He stabbed the victim in the neck inside the mosque during afternoon prayers.
The incident came after knife crime in London has risen to a new high amid a nationwide surge in blade-offending. According to the British Office for National Statistics, 15,080 knife offences were recorded in the capital during the 12 months to the end of last September.
Knife crimes in Britain fell after 2009, but since 2014 there has been a gradual rise, according to official statistics.
