Man Enters Manchester Central Mosque Armed With Axe, Hammer And Knife During Ramadan Prayers

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.

“Greater Manchester Police said a man in his 40s is in custody and officers were trying to locate a second man A man has been arrested after walking into a mosque allegedly carrying weapons including an axe and a knife”

BBC

Volunteers isolated a man who was later found to be carrying an axe, a hammer and a knife.

BBC

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.

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.

Daily Star

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.

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.

“A man is under arrest after allegedly storming Manchester Central Mosque during Ramadan prayers carrying multiple weapons, including an axe”

Express.co.uk

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 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.

Lancs Live

Political figures and national commentators responded.

“The man was seen to wear a hi-vis jacket as he entered the Mosque before being detained by police By Danielle de Wolfe A man has been arrested after he allegedly entered a mosque in Manchester during Ramadan prayers carrying multiple weapons including an axe”

lbc.co.uk

The Telegraph and BBC recorded concern from Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer and other politicians.

lbc.co.uk

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.