Muslims hiding inside Southport mosque when it was besieged by far-right protesters have revealed they ‘feared they would die’ as thugs torched cars and pelted the building with rocks.
The rioters – believed by police to be ‘supporters of the English Defence League’ – started hurling items at the mosque just one hour after mourners gathered to remember the three girls killed in a horrific knife rampage in the town.
Fire crews, teams from the council and local construction firms had to be brought in to repair smashed windows and to rebuild a wall outside the mosque following the protest that was fuelled by false claims the suspect was a Muslim.
Iqbal Ahmed, 32, who arrived at the mosque on Sussex Road at 7.30pm on Friday to pray, described the terror of being inside the building when the violence unfolded.
Referring to the moment when protesters set a charity clothes bank on fire, Mr Ahmed said according to The Times: ‘We thought the downstairs was on fire. We ran to the toilet window at the back of the mosque on the top floor.
Police stand in riot gear next to Southport mosque on Sussex Road
The rioters – believed by police to be ‘supporters of the English Defence League’ – started hurling items at the mosque
The angry mob clashed with police as they surrounded the Southport Islamic Society Mosque on St Luke’s Street
‘We lifted up the window and had a look to see if we could jump it. It’s quite high. We might have broken our legs if we’d jumped.’
He added: ‘I have a little boy and was thinking about him. I thought for a second, ‘I’m going to die.’
The car dealership and property business owner said the group of men decided it would be safer to stay inside the mosque and picked up ‘mops and a metal curtain rail, ready to defend themselves’.
Mr Ahmed explained the most chilling moment of the ordeal was when an anonymous person called the mosque and threatened to ‘kill you and your families’.
Police condemned the ‘sickening’ violence and asked people not to speculate on the identity of the suspect.
A 17-year-old boy, originally from Cardiff but from the nearby Lancashire village of Banks, remains in custody accused of murder and attempted murder following the attack on the Taylor Swift-themed dance class on Monday.
The three girls who were killed were named by police as six-year-old Bebe King, seven-year-old Elsie Dot Stancombe and nine-year-old Alice Dasilva Aguiar.
Five further children, aged between six and 11, are in a critical condition alongside two female adults, among them hero yoga teacher Leanne Lucas, who ‘bravely tried to protect them’.
Imam Sheik Ibrahim Hussein, speaks to media outside Southport Islamic Centre Mosque following the attack
Fire crews remove broken windows at the Southport Islamic Society Mosque in Southport
Imam Sheik Ibrahim Hussein, speaks to media outside Southport Islamic Centre Mosque on Sussex Road following the attack
Kingswood Homes workers rebuild a wall outside the Southport Islamic Centre Mosque in Southpor
Council workers repair the road outside Southport Islamic Society Mosque, after the violent protest
Teams repair the road and garden walls around the Southport Islamic Society Mosque
A police officer stands guard outside of the mosque in Southport
Teams repair Southport mosque following the violent protest
Merseyside Police said: ‘We would urge people not to speculate on details of the incident while the investigation is ongoing.’
Local mosque groups also spoke out against the violence aimed towards Muslims, adding: ‘We must not let those who seek to divide us and spread hatred use this as an opportunity.’
Police said that a number of officers were injured, while cars were set alight and shops were broken into and looted during the disorder.
In a desperate bid to protect themselves, officers put on helmets and riot gear after stones and bottles were launched at them.
One officer suffered a suspected broken nose and police vehicles were damaged and set on fire as around 400 people gathered to watch.
Demonstrators could be heard shouting ‘No surrender’ and ‘English till I die’.
One police officer was seen being helped into a van by his colleagues with blood streaming down his face and a heavily bandaged head. A female officer was also seen with a cut cheek.
By 8pm, around 500 rioters had massed in two streets outside the mosque – Sussex Road and St Luke’s Road – trapping around 40 police officers in the middle.
Missiles were hurled at riot officers and dog handlers from both sides. Bottles, bricks, fireworks and lumps of concrete were thrown to cheers from the rioters, who goaded police and eyes each other on.
At about 8.15pm a crowd surrounded three riot vans and began rocking one to try and flip it over.
Riot police hold back protesters near a burning police vehicle after disorder broke out in Southport
A police van was set on fire near a mosque in Southport on Tuesday evening as riots broke out
Tensions have flared in Southport last night, with police saying members of the EDL were targeting the mosque
Chaotic scenes erupted near to where the knife rampage took place in Southport on Monday
A traffic cone is hurled by a masked man at a police officer near to a mosque in Southport
Moments later a small explosion was heard and a mini-fireball erupted in the air as the van went up in flames.
One man shouted: ‘We’re doing this for our girls!’ as officers drove the other vans away from the fire to stop them also being set alight.
In a desperate attempt to quell the disorder, a charge from riot police brandishing batons sent around 300 of the rioters fleeing down the street as reinforcements flooded the area.
But violence continued into the night, with rioters forming a burning barricade of wheelie bins as they hurled bricks and lumps of concrete at riot police.
Mobs chanting ‘save our girls’ clashed with police until 10.30pm outside the Southport Mosque and Islamic Cultural Centre.
A nearby corner shop looked to have been broken into and looted. Rioters set alight at least five wheelie bins in the middle of Sussex Road sending flames and toxic black plumes of smoke shooting up into the night’s sky.
With officers unable to charge due to the burning barricade, a volley of missiles was hurled from behind the makeshift bonfire.
At one point the ferocity of the violence sent the line of police retreating slightly. Officers in a Merseyside Police helicopter continued to monitor events from the air.
The crowd began to thin out around 11pm with reports of disturbances – including cars being torched – breaking out across Southport.
Merseyside Police tweeted on Tuesday: ‘A number of officers have been injured, cars set alight & a shop broken into & looted in Southport this evening.
‘This is completely unacceptable. We’re gathering evidence & those responsible will be brought to justice.’
Around 200 protesters were seen taking to the streets. Police believe many are EDL supporters
A burnt out police van near a mosque in Southport as shocking riots broke out on Tuesday
Riot police try to control the angry mob who have taken to the streets of Southport
Rioters wearing masks launch missiles towards police officers in Southport
A wounded police officer with blood pouring down his head after being caught up in the riots
During the demonstration, several people carried placards with slogans about stopping the boats. One read: ‘Stop the boats! Send them back! Fight for our kids! Let’s stand together!
One woman carrying a placard said the disorder was because the knife man who attacked the children ‘was a Muslim.’
She said: ‘We are saying enough is enough. Why are they not stopping the migrants coming in?
‘How many more children will be killed because they are letting them all in? They should be at the borders stopping them.’
Her comments came after inaccurate posts by social media sleuths about the identity of the perpetrator have received millions of views and engagements
