2 arrested for attacking elderly Muslim man walking home from mosque in UK

By Mehmet Solmaz

BIRMINGHAM, England (AA) - Two suspects, both aged 16, were taken into custody after a 73-year-old pensioner was attacked by three people as he was walking home from a mosque in Birmingham’s Kings Heath neighborhood late Wednesday.

“We've arrested two teenage boys in connection with an attack on a man as he walked home from a mosque in Kings Heath," said West Midlands Police in a statement.

"We detained the pair, both aged 16, from separate addresses in Birmingham overnight. They have been detained on suspicion of assault and taken into custody.”

The victim was taken to hospital with a broken hand and cuts to his face. In the videos circulated on social media, blood is seen streaming down from the man’s face. The police said victim has been discharged from hospital to continue his recovery.

A statement from the family said: “We would ask for the public to be calm and that they help the police with their investigation. We would also ask that people have respect for our privacy whilst we help our father to recover.”

CCTV camera footage showed the attackers were sitting in a black vehicle prior to the assault. One kicked him hard in the back, causing him to fall and hit his head on a display board. The group is then seen fleeing the scene immediately.

West Midlands police do not think there is any connection to an attack on another elderly Muslim man who was set on fire while walking home from another Birmingham mosque on March 20.

Birmingham, a city with a population of 1.2 million, is home to more than 300,000 Muslims. The minority group is said to be not only facing discrimination in their daily lives, but also physical attacks.

In 2018, a cross-party group of parliamentarians issued a report on anti-Muslim hate, urging the government to officially define Islamophobia. So far, the government has refrained from taking any action.