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Manchester mosque incident
On the evening of Tuesday 24 February 2026, during Taraweeh Ramadan prayers at Manchester Central Mosque in Victoria Park / Rusholme, volunteers discovered a large suspicious bag containing an axe in the main hall.
“A man in his 40s was arrested after walking into Manchester Central Mosque in Rusholme at about 20:40 GMT on Tuesday carrying weapons including an axe, knives and a hammer.”
Volunteers isolated a man who was later found to be carrying an axe, a hammer and a knife.
One man in his 40s was arrested, and a second man left before police arrived and is being sought.
Reports place the time around 8:30–8:50pm (20:30–20:50 GMT).
Reports say no-one was injured.
Mosque eyewitness accounts
Eyewitness and volunteer accounts across outlets say two men entered the mosque together.
Volunteers discovered a bag with an axe in the main hall and isolated one man who was later found in a separate room with a hammer and a knife.
Several sources say worshippers or volunteers confronted and detained the suspect until police arrived.
Descriptions of the pair vary across reports: some cite the mosque describing one as a white male in a high-visibility jacket and the other as a Black man, while others omit ethnicity and focus on the weapons and containment.
Because accounts differ, the descriptions of the individuals are inconsistent across sources.
Mosque security incident
Greater Manchester Police say they were called to the mosque and arrested a man in his 40s on suspicion of carrying an offensive weapon and possession of a class B drug.
“He was arrested on suspicion of possessing an offensive weapon and class B drugs and remains in custody. GMP described the event as a “serious security incident” but said it is not being treated as terror-related, no one was injured and no threats were made.”
Officers described the episode as a 'serious security incident' but said it is not being treated as terror-related.
Police have increased patrols in the area and are searching for the second suspect.
Sources uniformly report there were no injuries and no threats were made.
Mosque safety response
Mosque and community leaders described the episode as a serious security concern, praised volunteers for quick action, handed CCTV to police and urged worshippers to be vigilant, advising people to travel in groups and not leave children unattended.
Several outlets report the mosque linked the incident to a perceived rise in Islamophobic threats and called for more resources to tackle that risk.
Political and community responses
Political figures and national commentators responded.
“The incident drew concern from Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer and comes close to a tightly contested by-election in the Gorton and Denton area.”
The Telegraph and BBC recorded concern from Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer and other politicians.
The Telegraph linked the incident to a nearby by-election campaign.
Other outlets focused more narrowly on security, patrols and appeals for witnesses.
The BBC and some community figures raised questions about whether the incident’s classification as not terror-related was appropriate.
This reflected differences in emphasis between policing statements and community unease reported across outlets.