A 17-year-old boy has been arrested and charged with a number of offences, together with threats to kill, after attacking devotees on the Sri Guru Nanak Darbar Gurdwara in Gravesend, south-east England, with a knife. The assault on 11 July, which left two girls injured, is being handled by police as a “religiously aggravated” incident.
“That is an remoted incident and our preliminary enquiries counsel it’s not terrorism-related. We’re treating it as a religiously aggravated incident. It was disruptive to native residents and our officers will proceed to patrol the world to reassure and keep contact with the neighborhood,” mentioned Chief Superintendent Angie Chapman, commander of Kent Police’s North Kent division.
The incident occurred on the night time of July 11, when the 17-year-old reportedly entered the gurdwara and brought on a disturbance in one of many Darbar Halls.
Shortly afterward, two girls suffered cuts and bruises in an assault outdoors the constructing.
“Officers attended the scene the place a neighborhood teenager was arrested. Nobody was significantly injured through the incident and officers recovered a knife,” Kent Police mentioned.
In accordance with the gurdwara’s administration staff, the suspect was noticed by the safety staff and police have been instantly referred to as, Kent Dwell information portal reported.
Kent Police mentioned the boy appeared at Maidstone Crown Court docket and confronted costs of tried grievous bodily hurt, assault occasioning precise bodily hurt, utilizing or threatening illegal violence, threatening to kill, threatening an individual with a knife and possession of a knife in a public place.
The courtroom launched the 17-year-old on bail, however he was instantly detained for a psychological well being analysis.
The suspect, whose identification has not been launched, will seem earlier than Medway Youth Court docket once more on Thursday, July 18, following his psychological well being evaluation.
The gurdwara, one of many largest outdoors India, held an “All Sangat Assembly” in its convention corridor on Sunday to reassure the neighborhood after claiming that “Guru Granth Sahib Ji” was not current within the Darbar Corridor on the time of the assault.
“Kent Police have arrested one individual on suspicion of tried homicide, after getting into the gurdwara and inflicting an incident in one of many Darbar Halls. We will verify that the incident occurred after Sukhasan and ‘Guru Granth Sahib Ji’ weren’t current within the Darbar Corridor,” the gurdwara mentioned in a press release, Kent Dwell reported.
