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		</div><p>Worshippers in England tackled a knifeman in a mosque after he stabbed a man in his 70s who was leading the call to prayer.</p>
<p>A 29-year-old man, who is believed to have been attending prayers at London Central Mosque in Regent’s Park, central London, was arrested on suspicion of attempted murder at the scene today.</p>
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<p>The victim was taken to hospital, where his condition is said not to be life-threatening, and Scotland Yard is not treating the attack as terror-related.</p>
<p>Witnesses told how the suspect launched a “vicious attack” on the muezzin, who makes the call to prayer, at around 3pm.</p>
<figure id="attachment_149902" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-149902" style="width: 600px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img class="size-full wp-image-149902" src="https://londonglossy.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/165C759A-CC1D-41BA-8834-E38C2CE9F6E6.jpeg" alt="" width="600" height="450" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-149902" class="wp-caption-text">Eyewitness Abi Watik speaking to media outside London Central Mosque</figcaption></figure>
<p>Ayaz Ahmad, adviser to the mosque, said: “Everybody’s reaction was shock and horror, the men were screaming.</p>
<p>“It was a vicious attack. We live in a society where we hear a lot about knife crime and what have you but actually to physically be in a situation where you’re first-hand watching an attempted murder take place it’s very shocking.”</p>
<p>He added: “This guy was not a regular, I’ve never seen him here in 10 years.”</p>
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<p>Abi Watik, 59, said the victim was stabbed once in the right shoulder moments after prayers had started and the attacker “was silent the whole time”.</p>
<p>“We were shocked, we didn’t know what happened, we saw the guy on the floor and blood on his shoulder and the knife on the floor,” he said.</p>
<p>The mosque said members of the congregation broke from their prayers and restrained the attacker until police arrived.</p>
<p>Mr Ahmad added: “It would have been life threatening if it wasn’t for the worshippers who helped stop the guy and apprehend him.</p>
<p>“I called the ambulance, the ambulance came within a matter of minutes.”</p>
<p>Mustafa Field, director of the Faiths Forum for London, told reporters outside the mosque that worshippers said it was “one stab, one strike, around the neck” of the victim.</p>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="550" data-dnt="true">
<p lang="en" dir="ltr">I&#39;m deeply saddened to hear of the attack at the London Central Mosque. It&#39;s so awful that this should happen, especially in a place of worship. My thoughts are with the victim and all those affected.</p>
<p>&mdash; Boris Johnson (@BorisJohnson) <a href="https://twitter.com/BorisJohnson/status/1230535733154324480?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 20, 2020</a></p></blockquote>
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<p>“Then the congregation members, some of them broke their prayers, and intervened, restrained the individual,” he said.</p>
<p>“The mosque security called the police, and the police were there within minutes, and he was restrained and taken away.”</p>
<p>Images posted to social media showed a white man in a red hooded top, jeans and bare feet being pinned to the floor by police officers inside the mosque, as others, including a small child, watched on.</p>
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<p>One video showed a knife on the floor under a plastic chair.</p>
<p>A friend of the victim has described him as a “selfless” man who was well known among the community.</p>
<p>The victim has been named by mosque-goers as Raafat.</p>
<p>Waleed Mohammed said: “There is only one Rafaat in the mosque, his voice comes out of that minaret five times a day, for this to happen right at the end of his career is very, very sad for the whole Muslim community.”</p>
<p>A Scotland Yard spokesman said the suspect has been taken into custody at a central London police station, adding: “The incident is not being treated as terror-related at this time.”</p>
<p> ;</p>
<p>In response to the attack, Prime Minister Boris Johnson tweeted: “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.”</p>
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<p>Mayor of London Sadiq Khan said police would be providing extra resources, writing on Twitter: “I’m deeply concerned by this incident at London Central Mosque.</p>
<p>“Every Londoner is entitled to feel safe in their place of worship &; I want to reassure London’s communities that acts of violence in our city will not be tolerated.</p>
<p>“The Met are providing extra resources in the area.”</p>
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