Southport mosque chairman speaks out after riots in wake of stabbing deaths

A mosque chairman has described being trapped in the building while violence erupted outside as “terrifying” but said the supportive community response has been “humbling”. Ibrahim Hussein said he is at a loss as to why people shouting abuse and throwing missiles had targeted Southport mosque and that he had feared rioters would at one point break in and “burn the place down”. Police officers suffered serious injuries in the disorder on Tuesday night, with Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer saying rioters had “hijacked” a vigil for the victims of a stabbing attack at a Taylor Swift-themed holiday club. Mr Hussein said the experience, in which he and around eight other people were trapped inside the mosque, had been “terrifying”. “It was absolutely, awful, horrendous,” he told reporters on Wednesday. Watch more on Independent TV: The Independent is the world’s most free-thinking newsbrand, providing global news, commentary and analysis for the