A man has been charged with possession of an offensive weapon after an individual allegedly entered a mosque in Manchester with an axe.
Darren Connor, 55, was arrested at Manchester Central mosque in Rusholme on Tuesday after police were alerted to him and another man entering the building and apparently acting suspiciously. Police have announced that the second man has not been charged in connection with the incident, but has been charged with an unrelated breach of a criminal behaviour order.
Connor has also been charged with possession of class B drugs and is due to appear in Manchester and Salford magistrates court on the morning of 27 February.
Hamad Khan, the chair of the mosque, previously said a man wearing a hi-vis jacket entered the mosque at about 8.30pm on Tuesday when about 1,500 people were saying Ramadan prayers. Khan said the man was ushered into an office and police were called after an axe was spotted in his bag.
Greater Manchester police previously stated that they had been in contact with counter-terrorism policing north-west but had not declared the event as a possible terrorist incident.
Speaking after the incident, John Webster, an assistant chief constable at GMP, said: “This is a time where Muslims come together to observe Ramadan. They should feel safe in their place of worship. We do give places of worship increased attention during this period, as we do with all religious festivals.
“We are increasing patrols to offer security and reassurance to our Muslim community. Our officers will be on 12-hour shifts to be able to do this, certainly in the short term.”
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