LONDON – Police have been deployed in the wake of Wednesday’s catapultattacks on two Birmingham mosques, *The Guardian*link reported.
Masjid Qamarul Islam on Fosbrooke Road and Al-Hijrah Mosque on Hob MoorRoad were both attacked 20 minutes apart. The mosques were hit by ballbearings which police believe came from a heavy-duty catapult.
West Midlands police said the motive for the attacks was unclear. Armedpersonnel have been deployed and a patrol set up to reassure residents andworshippers. A statement on the force’s website read, “the attacks arebeing treated as hate crimes and are thought to be linked at this stage.”
Nassar Mahmood, a trustee of Birmingham Central mosque, said “we would askyou to be cautious of apportioning blame to the Muslim community. We areshocked and saddened by this just the same as everybody else.” He saidMuslims were experiencing unprecedented levels of Islamophobia.
A man was arrested earlier on Tuesday in connection with the recentParliament attack targetting cyclists. Birmingham-resident Salih Khater wasarrested after a vehicle rammed into cyclists and pedestrians beforecrashing into a barrier.
This article originally appeared in *The Guardian*link.