Arrest after air rifle discharged outside mosque

A man has been arrested after an air rifle was discharged outside a mosque in York.

North Yorkshire Police said it happened outside York Mosque and Islamic Centre on Bull Lane at about 02:15 BST.

The force said the arrested man was a 44-year-old white UK national from the city. This information has been released by the police consistent with their national guidelines.

The suspect left the area in a silver vehicle before he was held, and he remained in custody for questioning. The air rifle had been recovered and no-one was hurt in the incident, police said.

Extensive searches and inquiries were ongoing, including a trawl of CCTV footage and forensic examinations, according to the force.

Supt Ed Haywood-Noble said: "This incident is clearly deeply concerning for our communities.

"I can give reassurance that police acted swiftly to arrest the suspect, and a thorough investigation is under way.

"Currently the motivation behind the incident is not clear. We are carrying out detailed inquiries to get a better understanding of the circumstances which resulted in the man's arrest."

Haywood-Noble added that police were engaging with people who attended the mosque and had been left frightened by the incident.

Patrols would be stepped up in the city in the coming days to reassure communities, according to police.

Mohamad Douba, president of the mosque, said police were notified after a member noticed suspicious activity and "heard what appeared to be a shooting".

Douba said: "They immediately contacted the police, who attended the scene promptly.

"We would like to thank our brave member of the community for their quick thinking and for immediately alerting the police.

"We are grateful no-one was injured, and there have been no reports of any members of our congregation, staff, volunteers or students being harmed."

A police cordon was put in place and Douba said the mosque was currently closed as a precaution.

He added: "We are co-operating fully with the authorities and will provide an update to the community once we have confirmation that it is safe to reopen.

"We will inform everyone as soon as the mosque is ready to resume normal activities.

"The safety and wellbeing of our worshippers, students, staff, volunteers and the wider community remain our highest priority."

Anyone who saw what happened or who had information, CCTV or dashcam footage that could support the investigation was asked to contact police.

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