A police officer stabbed in a mosque by a man brandishing a large combat knife has been praised for his “heroic” actions as he helped arrest the knifeman despite his injuries.

Taser fired at the knifeman had no effect

The unnamed West Midlands Police officer is being treated in hospital for chest and stomach injuries after the attack at the mosque in the Ward End area of Birmingham on Saturday night.

Three others were injured and a 32-year-old man, who police say is a local man believed to be of Somalian descent, has been arrested on suspicion of attempted murder.

Unarmed officers were called to reports that a man armed with a knife had stabbed other worshippers in the mosque and arrived four minutes later.

As the attacker came at police with the knife inside the mosque, the officer fired a taser which hit the knifeman, but it had no effect.

Describing the chain of the events as he spoke at the scene of the attack yesterday, Chief Superintendent Alex Murray said: “The individual stabbed the officer in the chest and in the stomach around the stab proof vest that he was wearing.

“The officer, although stabbed, and with a colleague managed to disarm the individual and make an arrest.”

He thanked officers and those who helped inside the mosque for their “heroic” actions.

“There was some real brave action going on inside that mosque last night,” Mr Mur-ray said.

The injured officer is aged 31 and from the Yardley Wood area of Birmingham. He has served with West Midlands Police since 2007. His family is by his bedside as he is treated in hospital.

Mr Murray said the suspect at the mosque in Washwood Heath Road was arrested on suspi-cion of attempted murder and was being questioned by po-lice, yesterday.

The motivation for the attack is still not clear, he said.

Local residents said they heard screams coming from the mosque around 11pm, the approximate time the attack is thought to have happened, and saw people running out saying a man was inside stabbing people.

As well as the police officer, three other men were injured in the attack, two seriously.

A 28-year-old man was stabbed in the arm, and a 36-year-old man was stabbed once in the thigh. A third man suffered a hand injury and is now recovering at home.

West Midlands Police would be “looking into details” as to why the Taser had no effect on the suspect, he added.

Mohammed Shafiq, the leader of national Muslim organisation the Ramadhan Foundation, said yesterday: “Our immediate thoughts are with the victims injured and their families.”

He then insisted, “It is too early to speculate on the circumstances of the stabbings but we must be clear there should be no place for this sort of violence in our country.”