A 27-year-old man was reportedly attacked with a hammer and a bat Friday outside his mosque in London just hours after the New Zealand massacre.
The report filed with London Police said that a car with three men sped past the East London mosque, yelling Islamophobic slurs, calling them “terrorists,” at attendees outside the worship place. When the mosque attendees chased down the car, a man got out of the car and attacked one of the chasers with a hammer-like weapon.
Local police confirmed the filing of the police report to The Independent, saying that the victim sustained head injuries from the altercation.
“The suspects returned to their car and left the scene before police arrived,” said a representative for London’s Metropolitan Police.
“At hospital, it was established that the victim had sustained a head injury, which was not believed to be serious,” the representative said.
“However, he was abusive towards hospital staff, and left the hospital without being treated. Investigations are ongoing and officers have not identified any motive for the attack.”
The victim was taken to a nearby hospital for his injuries.
“However, he was abusive towards hospital staff, and left the hospital without being treated,” police said. “Investigations are ongoing and officers have not identified any motive for the attack.”
No arrests related to the case have been made.
After the massacre at two mosques in Christchurch, New Zealand, that left 49 dead and 20 injured, government officials around the world have been warning people not to attend mosques for the time being in fear of inadequate safety measures.
