Threatening letters sent to mosques in Kent, London, and Colchester

Tell MAMA has received several reports of threatening letters sent to five mosques in Kent, London, and Colchester as of yesterday (May 2).

Some letters have contained non-toxic white powder.

Rest assured that we are working closely with the relevant police forces on this matter which is being treated with the utmost seriousness.

With Jumu’ah prayers tomorrow we urge all masjids to avoid handling mail which may appear suspicious or from envelopes which only list the address of the building.

We urge anyone who has received this letter to report to Tell MAMA in confidence or to ring the non-emergency 101 number.

In an emergency always dial 999.

It is essential that all letters and envelopes are kept and handled minimally to preserve evidence for the police to investigate.

Incidents like this are rare but we urge vigilance and calm as we remind Muslim communities that our confidential support service is available to assist in this matter.

 

Our safety tips are free to download and share from our resources section.

We will continue to update the public on this matter when we are able to do so.

UPDATE: We have received several reports of threatening letters sent to mosques in the South West, South East, and Greater Manchester areas.

UPDATE II: Lancashire Police are investigating a letter and powder sent to Blackpool’s Central Mosque and Islamic Community Centre, per the Blackpool Gazette.

UPDATE III: We have received reports of letters sent to mosques in Sussex and the Merseyside area.

UPDATE IV: Threatening letter sent to Southend Mosque

The same threatening letter was sent to Southend Mosque but did not contain any suspicious powder, according to the local Echo newspaper.

Sussex Police are treating the incident as a hate crime. The Counter Terrorism Unit North East (CTU) is leading the investigation.

A CTU spokesperson said: “Police are investigating a number of reports of malicious communications sent to individuals across the UK.

“Officers are currently investigating the full circumstances surrounding these reports.

“Counter Terrorism Policing North East are coordinating the investigation at this time and will consider any potential links to existing enquiries.

“Enquiries are at an early stage and we’d encourage anyone who believes they have been a victim of such an offence to contact their local police force.

“We’d also appeal to anyone with any information about the individual, or individuals, responsible to call police in confidence on 0800 789 321.”

You can get advice through our confidential and free helpline on 0800 456 1226. Or through our free iOS or Android apps. Report through our online form. Or contact us via WhatsApp on 0734 184 6086.