Two people have been arrested after a suspected hit-and-run near Masjid At-Taqwa in Leicester after Taraweeh prayers last night, which left another man seriously hurt.
A pedestrian in his 40s was struck in Humberstone Road after leaving the mosque at about 1am.
A woman, aged 21, and a man, 23, have been held on suspicion of causing serious injury by dangerous driving.
Leicestershire Police said the injured man was in a stable condition in hospital while a teenage boy, who was also struck, sustained minor injuries.
Officers do not believe the vehicle was “deliberately driven at the pedestrians” but said it failed to stop after the crash. Detectives said they were trying to trace a blue three-door hatchback.
In a statement on Facebook, the mosque said: “Last night after Taraweeh prayers, a member of our congregation was the victim of a hit and run incident in close proximity to the Masjid. He is currently in critical condition with severe injuries.
“We implore everyone to pray to Allah, the Lord of The Worlds, to hasten his full recovery and grant his family patience during this very difficult time. A full Police investigation has been launched which Masjid At-Taqwa is fully cooperating with. We remind everyone to remain vigilant at all times and report any incidents or threatening behaviour immediately to the Police.
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“Say, “Never will we be struck except by what Allah has decreed for us; He is our protector.” And upon Allah let the believers rely. (Tawbah, 51)”
Inspector Paul Allen said: “While we have made arrests the investigation is very much ongoing and we have a team of officers working to establish the exact circumstances of what has happened and to locate the vehicle.
“We are now appealing for sightings of a blue coloured car – it may have sustained damage in the collision and could have been abandoned. Is there a vehicle matching the description parked in your street that isn’t normally there? Do you think you’ve seen the vehicle abandoned? Or did you see it around the time of the incident?
“Whatever information you might have, we want to hear from you. Officers are also appealing for anyone who may have dashcam or CCTV footage of the incident to get in touch.
“The incident is not being treated as terrorist related and we would ask that people do not speculate about the circumstances while it remains under investigation. There will be an increased police presence in the Humberstone Road area in order to provide reassurance to the local community.
“Anyone with information is asked to contact police on 101 quoting incident 19 of 30 May.”
