We wanted to bring to your attention a deeply concerning incident that took place last night (24th February 2026) at Manchester Central Mosque during Taraweeh prayers. A man entered the mosque carrying an axe, hammer and knife and was only stopped thanks to the swift actions of mosque volunteers. The matter is now with Greater Manchester Police.

In light of this, and the wider rise in Islamophobic and far-right incidents targeting mosques across the UK, we strongly encourage all mosque leaders and volunteers to remain vigilant and review your security arrangements — particularly during this blessed month of Ramadan when congregations are larger.

MEND has produced a free guide on keeping your mosque safe, which we’d encourage you to download and share with your team: bit.ly/mosque-safe

May Allah protect our communities. Please do not hesitate to reach out if we can support one another.