Sir Mark Rowley, the Metropolitan Police Commissioner, was in Sutton for Friday prayers to provide reassurance to the Muslim community after their mosques were mentioned as targets in an alleged terror plot.
Offering support: Met Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley met worshippers at Sutton Central Mosque on Friday
Police had found documents at the child’s home including plans for “Operation Terrorise Sutton”, inspired by Adolf Hitler and Norwegian mass-murderer Anders Breivik.
The boy had been arrested on suspicion of criminal damage to a vehicle, in a “racially aggravated” incident in the Sutton area on June 20. The boy has pleaded not guilty to all charges and was remanded in youth custody until a further court appearance at the Old Bailey on August 21.
According to Met Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley, this is just one of a number of terror threats against “many different communities” which the police had stopped recently.
On Friday, Sir Mark met representatives of the Sutton Central Masjid on Carshalton Road to show “determination in fighting hate crime”.
He said: “It’s important for me to be here today in Sutton with the Muslim community, partly showing our determination in fighting hate crime and protecting them and partly to hear their reflections and look at what more we can do.”
Additional patrols had been deployed by the police to protect worshippers.
“They’re seeing increased presence around mosques here and elsewhere, just like we’ve done recently for Jewish people in other communities,” Sir Mark said.
“And we’ll keep doubling down on this because it matters.”
According to a BBC report, elders at the mosque said: “People are worried, very worried.”
Mohammed Ali Sayestha, the secretary of the mosque, told BBC London: “People are frightened to bring their children here for prayer.”
According to Met Police data, 1,636 instances of anti-Muslim hate crime were recorded in London over the past 12 months – an increase of 31.4% on the previous year.
In Sutton, there were 35 instances of anti-Muslim hate crime reported in that period, up 119% annually.
According to the figures, the Met has had 145 positive outcomes for anti-Muslim hate crimes, up 76.8% compared with the previous year.
Sir Mark said: “We’re living in difficult times where the threats against many different communities from different terrorist groups is deeply troubling.
“We’re in times where there’s high levels of hate crime that’s driven by an online world that monetises hatred, the extremes of public debate which license hatred, and hostile states like Iran and Russia which encourage hatred on the street.”
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