Man appears in court charged with stabbing prayer leader at London mosque
Written by News on 22/02/2020
A 29-year-old man has appeared in court charged with stabbing a prayer leader at a London mosque.
Raafat Maglad, 70, was attacked during afternoon prayers at London Central Mosque in Regent’s Park on Thursday.
Daniel Horton, of no fixed abode, has been charged with grievous bodily harm and possession of a bladed article.
He spoke only to confirm his name and date of birth, and to state his nationality as British, when he appeared at Westminster Magistrates’ Court on Saturday.
Horton was remanded in custody by District Judge Nina Tempia to appear at Southwark Crown Court on 20 March.
Mr Maglad was taken to hospital with stab wounds but was later discharged, returning to the mosque for Friday prayers less than 24 hours after being attacked.
Wearing a sling to support his right arm and surrounded by security, Mr Maglad told reporters on Friday: “I feel okay. This is my fate.”
Mayor of London Sadiq Khan visited the mosque on Friday in a show of support for Mr Maglad.
Mr Khan said shortly after the incident that “every Londoner is entitled to feel safe in their place of worship and I want to reassure London’s communities that acts of violence in our city will not be tolerated”.
He said extra police officers would be deployed in the area.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson said he was “deeply saddened” at the attack, adding: “It’s so awful that this should happen, especially in a place of worship.”
Scotland Yard has previously said it is not treating the stabbing as terror-related.
(c) Sky News 2020: Man appears in court charged with stabbing prayer leader at London mosque
