An elderly man has been stabbed at a mosque in central London during afternoon prayers.

The victim, named by worshippers as Rafaat, was taken to hospital after being attacked at London Central Mosque in Regent's Park at about 3pm on Thursday.

He is the muezzin who leads the call to prayer and was at the front of the hall when he was assaulted.

Image: A man was arrested at the mosque after the attack. Pic: @SLDN95

His condition does "not appear to be life-threatening" and he is being treated at a major trauma centre, police said.

Witness Abi Watik, 59, said the victim was stabbed once in the right shoulder moments after prayers got under way and the attacker was "silent the whole time".


"We were shocked - we didn't know what was happening," Mr Watik said.

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.

A 29-year-old man was arrested at the scene on suspicion of attempted murder after worshippers pinned him down, Scotland Yard said.

The incident is not being treated as terror-related.

It is believed to be "an isolated incident" and "no other suspects are being sought at this time", said Chief Superintendent Helen Harper.

Image: Police at the mosque in central London

Video showed a white man wearing a red hoodie, black trousers and no shoes being handcuffed by police.

In one piece of footage there was a knife on the floor under a plastic chair.

Witnesses said the suspect spoke with "a London accent" and had been a regular at the mosque but was last seen at least six months ago.

Waleed Mohammed, a friend of the victim, 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."

Director-general of the Islamic Cultural Centre at the mosque, Dr Ahmad Al Dubayan, said he hoped it was "only an individual incident".

He added: "This place is iconic - not only for Muslims but for all the British society. Many Muslims come here, many communities come here."

Image: Officers secured the scene

The Muslim Council of Britain said it would be reissuing its safety advice to mosques across the country.

"Regardless of the motive of the attacker, we must remain calm but vigilant as we aim to balance the importance of retaining mosques as open spaces, and the security of worshippers," it said.

Ayaz Ahmad, adviser to the mosque, said the prime minister's office, the Home Office and the Mayor of London's office had called to give their regards following the incident.

PM 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."

London Central Mosque is one of the country's largest and can hold 5,000 worshippers, with people from across the capital travelling to it for prayers every day.

About 200-300 worshippers are understood to have been there when the attack happened.