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| Version 3 | Version 4 |
|---|---|
| Murder arrest after death of imam in Rochdale | Murder arrest after death of imam in Rochdale |
| (about 2 hours later) | |
| Police investigating the death of an imam who was found near a Greater Manchester mosque have arrested a 31-year-old man on suspicion of murder. | Police investigating the death of an imam who was found near a Greater Manchester mosque have arrested a 31-year-old man on suspicion of murder. |
| The victim, found with a head injury on Thursday in a play area in Rochdale, has not yet been formally identified. | The victim, found with a head injury on Thursday in a play area in Rochdale, has not yet been formally identified. |
| But a Facebook post on Friday from Jalalia Jaamé Mosque said Jalal Uddin had "passed away last night". | |
| A post-mortem examination of the victim, believed to be in his 40s or 50s, is due to take place later. | A post-mortem examination of the victim, believed to be in his 40s or 50s, is due to take place later. |
| The mosque's social media post said: "It is with deep sadness we inform you that our dear Qari Jalal Uddin Saab passed away last night. | |
| "The cause of his death is yet to be confirmed, we recommend that you do not speculate but rather wait for the facts to be established by the police." | "The cause of his death is yet to be confirmed, we recommend that you do not speculate but rather wait for the facts to be established by the police." |
| 'Murder investigation' | |
| Dobir Miah, chief officer for the Rochdale Council of Mosques, promised to "offer any assistance" to Greater Manchester Police. | |
| "We would like to urge people to please remain calm and be reassured that everything possible is being done to find out what has happened," he said. | |
| "Nothing has been said that suggests there is an immediate threat to people doing their day-to-day activities." | |
| It is understood that while Mr Uddin was not a current imam at Jalalia Jaamé Mosque, he had occasionally led prayers. | |
| Mr Uddin is believed to have been on his way home from a friend's house when he was assaulted between 20:40 and 20:55 GMT. | |
| Asst Chief Constable Rebekah Sutcliffe, who appealed for witnesses, said: "We were called last night just before 9pm to the Wardleworth play zone which is on South Street in Rochdale to a report of an injured man. | |
| "What we have since been able to find out is that an Asian man aged between 40 and 50 has a head injury, we believe, as a result of being assaulted and we are treating that as a murder investigation. | |
| "The investigation is at a really early stage and I must stress that. A man is in custody and has been arrested but at the moment we are keeping a completely open mind as to what the motive for this attack is." | |
| She said that while detectives were looking at the possibility of the incident being racially motivated, "at the moment we just cannot say one way or the other." |