An elderly Muslim couple have been found stabbed to death at a home in Blackburn, with a man in his 40s arrested on suspicion of murder.
Lancashire Police launched a murder investigation after officers were called by the North West Ambulance Service to an address on Hardman Street at 8.22am on Monday.
A man and a woman were found inside the property with stab injuries and were pronounced dead at the scene.
5Pillars understands that the victims were an elderly Muslim couple. Police have not yet formally identified them and their names have not been released.
Lancashire Police said Home Office post-mortem examinations will take place in due course.
A man in his 40s was subsequently arrested on suspicion of murder and remained in police custody following his arrest.
Detectives said they are still working to establish exactly what happened and the motive for the killings, but stressed that they do not believe there is a wider threat to the community.
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A dedicated team of officers is carrying out CCTV, house-to-house and forensic enquiries, while a police scene is expected to remain in place for several days.
Local residents told the BBC that the victims were elderly and had lived in the area for a long time.
One woman, who has lived locally for 17 years, said the couple had been in the neighbourhood for many years, while another resident described Hardman Street as normally a quiet area.
Local councillor Terri Mahmood said the deaths had left both the family and wider community devastated.
“The community is in shock,” he told the BBC. “The family is deeply, deeply upset. It’s shocking to them. The women are in tears.”
He urged people not to speculate about what had happened while the police investigation remained ongoing.
Blackburn MP Adnan Hussain also expressed his condolences to the victims’ loved ones and appealed for the family to be given privacy.
“News of this tragic incident will understandably be deeply concerning for people across Blackburn,” he said. “My thoughts are with the families and loved ones of the two people who have died. At this very early stage, there is very little information, and I would urge people not to speculate.”
Hussain added that police had confirmed there was no danger to the wider public and said the family should be given “the privacy and compassion they need to grieve at this incredibly difficult time.”
The Blackburn Muslim Group also issued a statement following the deaths, reassuring the local community that there was “absolutely no cause for concern.”
The group urged people to avoid speculation while the police investigation was underway and asked that “the privacy of the families and all those affected be respected during this extremely difficult time.”
Lancashire Police said: “Whilst this is a fast-moving investigation, we are at the early stages of establishing exactly what has occurred and why.
“Detectives are continuing to work to establish a motive for this tragic incident; however, we don’t believe there is a wider threat to the community.”
Police are appealing for anyone who saw or heard anything suspicious in the area, or who has CCTV, dashcam, mobile phone or doorbell footage which could assist the investigation, to contact them on 101 quoting log 0252 of September 7.
