Suspicious item a 'hate crime' for UK mosque

[TurnToStone]

Suspicious item a 'hate crime' for UK mosque

Date June 24, 2013 - 11:03AM
Matthew Cooper

Foresenic officers check the street outside the Aisha Mosque and Islamic Center in Walsall, England, Sunday June 23, 2013, following the discovery of a suspicious item on Saturday night. Photo: AP

London: A suspicious item found near a British mosque is being treated as a hate crime, police say.

Almost 40 homes close to the place of worship in Rutter Street, Walsall, were evacuated after bomb disposal experts were called to the scene.

Local police said the discovery was reported on Friday night and around 150 people were told to leave their homes as a "precautionary and temporary" measure.

The item had been found on Friday and taken inside the mosque by a well-meaning member of the public, a police spokesman added.

Superintendent Keith Fraser, the head of crime and operations for Walsall Police, said the incident was being treated as hate crime but the motive for placing the item near a mosque remained unclear.

Speaking at the scene, he said: "We have launched a full investigation into the suspicious item that has been found, and what's going to be the key to this is the public's help in relation to helping us to understand why that suspicious item was in the area."

Fraser, who confirmed that the suspicious item is now safe and is being examined by trained experts, also appealed for the media not to speculate about what had been found.

He continued: "Obviously there are going to be a number of hypotheses around this suspicious item, what I would ask is that we work with what we know at the moment.

"The investigation is at a very, very early stage.

"Hypotheses which raise people's concern about what may or may not have happened would not be helpful at this stage.

"I would ask that we keep things in perspective."

Police said officers have increased patrols in the area and around all places of worship, although the incident is believed to be isolated.

A 40-metre section of Rutter Street, in the Caldmore area of Walsall, remained cordoned off and two uniformed army personnel were at the scene.

Police investigators were also still outside the Aisha Mosque and Islamic Centre, including one officer wearing a blue full-length forensic suit, who could be seen taking photographs of areas of interest near the building.