Two teenagers have been arrested after a pensioner was attacked while walking home from a mosque.
The 16-year-olds were taken into custody on suspicion of assault last night, less than 24 hours after CCTV filmed what happened to the 73-year-old worshipper on York Road, in King’s Heath, Birmingham.
The man was seen falling and smashing his head on a display board outside a bar.
Police were called to the scene around 11pm on Wednesday evening while the victim was taken to hospital with a broken hand and cuts to his face.
His family said: ‘We would ask for the public to be calm and that they help the police with their investigation.
‘We would also ask that people have respect for our privacy whilst we help our father to recover.’
Inspector Neil Kirkpatrick, of West Midlands Police, said: ‘We’ve all been appalled by this attack and we’ve had teams working around the clock to identify suspects.
‘We’ve made two arrests and this remains a very active investigation.
‘We understand the concern this has caused within the community, especially those observing the holy month of Ramadan.
‘We’re grateful for the support we’ve received, and we’re linking in with faith leaders and working with street stewards from local mosques to reassure the community.
‘We’ll continue to have increased patrols and a visible presence to provide reassurance.’
The force has stressted there is nothing to suggest this attack is linked to two men being set on fire near mosques in Edgbaston, Birmingham, and Ealing, west London.
Officers also asked people to stop sharing the footage of the attack on social media, saying it could ‘affect the victim and his family and also damage the investigation’.
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