Police investigating a collision outside a Birmingham mosque in which two men were injured have said they do not believe terrorism was a motive.
The victims were hit by a silver car as they stood outside Shah Jalal mosque in Aston. West Midlands police said in a statement that they “do not believe it is terror-related”.
Detectives believe it was a targeted attack and efforts are ongoing to trace the vehicle, which failed to stop at the scene on Ettington Road at around 2.15pm on Friday.
A 19-year-old man is in hospital with head and back injuries, which are not believed to be life-threatening. A 17-year-old is also in hospital with head and leg injuries, which are not serious.
A worshipper who was attending Friday prayers and who declined to give his name told the Press Association: “It was shocking to see the guys afterwards. It was like something out of a movie and it was really, really shocking.”
Desmond Jaddoo, a community activist, urged people not to speculate about the motive for the incident as rumours circulated that it may have been linked to a dispute between groups of youths.
“It’s concerning what’s happened today. Two young men have been injured quite badly and it’s caused a lot of tension within the local community at present. Clearly there is a need for calm,” he said.
“The police need to be allowed to conduct their investigations and personally I would urge anyone who knows anything about what has happened to contact the police.”
DS Adam Williams from Force CID said: “We are still trying to establish the motive for the attack and we are looking at CCTV opportunities from the surrounding area. I’d really like to hear from anyone who has any information or CCTV of the incident or who may have dash-cam footage.”
Anyone with information can call police on 101 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.
