Scotland Yard has launched an investigation after a gunshot was fired outside a mosque in east London during Ramadan prayers on Thursday evening.
The Metropolitan Police said the firearm discharge at SevenKings Masjid in Ilford is believed to be related to a previous altercation andis not being treated as an “Islamophobic hate crime or terror-relatedincident”.
The Met Police’s firearms officers attended the scene andconfirmed there were no reported injuries or damage to the building.
“At this early stage, ballistic evidence recovered from thescene suggests that the weapon was a blank firing handgun. Officers fromTrident Specialist Crime investigate. There have been no arrests and enquiriescontinue,” a Met Police statement said.
It said that the incident may have stemmed from an earlieraltercation in the street.
“Initial enquiriesindicated that the incident may have stemmed from an earlier altercation in thestreet close to the mosque. Officers continue to work closely withrepresentatives from the mosque and are providing reassurance to the localcommunity,” the statement noted.
Officers were called to the mosque at 22.45 local time toreports that a man, believed to be in possession of a firearm, had entered amosque on High Road in Seven Kings, east London.
The man was ushered outside of the building by those insideand a gunshot was then heard later.
“I am in close contact with the Met Police Commissionerabout this incident at Seven Kings Mosque, and relieved to hear that nobody wasinjured,” London Mayor Sadiq Khan said in a Twitter statement.
“Everyone should be free to practice their faith free fromdanger and fear. An increased police presence remains on the scene,” he said.
The incident comes as the Met Police have issued statementsto reassure Britain’s Muslim communities to coincide with Ramadan andencouraged them to attend their local mosques without fear.
In the wake of terrorist attacks at a mosque in New Zealandin March and at a church in Sri Lanka last month, the Metropolitan Police saidit had reinforced safety measures at all places of worship across the Britishcapital.
Commander Mark McEwan, the Met Police’s lead for Inclusionand Engagement, said: “Ramadan is a very special time of the year for ourMuslim community living and visiting London; a city known for itsmulticulturalism and acceptance of different faiths and religions.