Tipton mosque blast was 'terrorist attack', say Police
As the remain of the murdered solider, Fusilier Lee Rigby is being laid to mother earth in Manchester, a nail explosion,suspected to be a terrorist attack, occured in West Midland near Tipton mosque.
The blast happened on a disused railway line near Binfield Street in Tipton in the West Midlands at about 13:00 BST.
A nearby shopkeeper said: "I did tell the police there to evacuate the area, please for god's sake - there were nails all over the place."
Counter terrorism officers were called in and the surrounding area was closed off for several hours
Counter-terrorism officers have launched an investigation. A West Midlands Police spokesman said: "Police have been called to Binfield Street in Tipton this afternoon following reports of a loud bang.
"A cordon has been set up and the immediate area is being evacuated as a precautionary measure while police investigate what caused it.
"Some residents have reported finding debris in the area and finding nails. This is being investigated by forensic officers at the scene."
In a joint statement, the board of trustees and management committee of the Kanz Ul Iman Masjid mosque said: "We express our deep shock and utter dismay regarding the incident that has occurred this afternoon. We jointly on behalf of the local community condemn this senseless and mindless act.
"It's a blessing from God that thankfully no-one was injured in the blast.
"We call for calm and strongly urge the community not to let this incident divide us and cause disharmony. We stand united, stand together in the aftermath of this mindless act. We have worked hard to build good community relations and will not allow this incident to divide us or undermine cohesion in the borough.
"We are working closely with the police with their ongoing investigation seeking reassurance to make the scene as safe and secure as soon as possible and track down the perpetrators.
Army and bomb disposal teams including members of the counter-terrorism unit have been at the scene, and police said there was minor damage to the window of one house.
Police spokesman Gareth Cann said whoever was behind the blast "looked to cause serious harm".
He said the army had been "clearing the area to make sure it was safe"
.Local councillor Ian Jones said he was "very shocked" by what had happened.
Witness Sadarat Khan: "I heard a big blast. There were nails all over the place"
He told BBC WM it could not "go unnoticed" that the incident happened on the same day of the funeral of Fusilier Lee Rigby, who was killed in Woolwich in May.
Meanwhile, West Midlands Police are still investigating an explosion which occurred near a mosque in the Caldmore area of Walsall on June 21.
The remains of a home-made explosive device were found on June 22 in an alleyway adjoining the Aisha Mosque and Islamic Centre in Rutter Street, Caldmore.
The earlier incident, in which no-one was injured, forced the overnight evacuation of around 150 people from their homes in the surrounding area.
Source: Sky News, BBC News, and Huff Post
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