Two in hospital after incident at South Shields mosque

Two people have been taken to hospital after a disturbance outside a mosque which prompted an emergency police response.
Police at the mosquePolice at the mosque
Police at the mosque

They were involved in a fracas close to the Al Azhar mosque at Laygate, South Shields, made famous through a visit in the 1970s by boxing great Muhammed Ali.

Police say they were called to the site at around 2.20pm today after reports of a clash between a group of men.

Picture by Ryan StephenPicture by Ryan Stephen
Picture by Ryan Stephen
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By the time they arrived, most of those suspected of being involved had fled.

But two men are thought to have been treated at the scene by paramedics before taken to hospital.

Northumbria Police said it did not believe the incident was racially-motivated and that those involved were known to each other.

A spokesman said: “At around 2.20pm this afternoon police received a report of a disturbance involving a group of men outside the mosque on Laygate in South Shields.

Police at the mosquePolice at the mosque
Police at the mosque
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“Police attended but most of the group had already dispersed upon their arrival.

“Enquiries have found that those involved are believed to be known to each other and this is not being treated as a racially-motivated attack.

“Two people are currently in hospital with non-life threatening injuries and an investigation is underway to establish the full circumstances around the disturbance.”

Police are requesting that witnessed to the disturbance contact them on 101 quoting log 576 10/08/18.

Boxing legend Ali visited the mosque in 1977 to have his wedding blessed.