How Wolverhampton Central Mosque drama unfolded

And what unfolded from then was a dramatic string of events that led to the evacuation of a mosque in the centre of Wolverhampton as the looming threat of terrorism returned to the region.

It was an ordinary Thursday afternoon at the quiet site just outside Birmingham city centre until a police officer on patrol recognised a suspect in the Walsall bomb investigation at the industrial park in Talbot Way, Small Heath.

At 2.50pm, two Eastern European men working for software engineering company Delcam were arrested on suspicion of causing bomb blasts at Aisha Mosque in Rutter Street, Walsall on June 21.

Army bomb disposal units arrived later and a huge area around the site was sealed off causing gridlock to surrounding roads.

The scene of the arrests was close to the large Central Jamia Masjid Ghamkol Sharif mosque with police cordoning off the industrial park and a long stretch of the Small Heath Highway.

Hundreds of workers were evacuated from the site as detectives, an Army bomb disposal unit and police dog team carried out investigations late into the night.

Police revealed the first man was arrested after being spotted by officers working in the local area. The second man was arrested at a property nearby.

As officers flooded the scene, a picture began to unfold of the suspects. Both university engineering students, the pair were at the site as part of a work placement with Delcam.

Clive Martell, chief executive of Delcam, said: "We had two men arrested on our premises. They are both Eastern European and they are here as overseas students on work placement and are not employees of ours."

He added: "This is completely unexpected and we are fully co-operating with the police."

It is believed the pair did not know each other before they met at the company.

One had been with the company for four months and the other just two months. Work placements typically last for up to one year.

The company has around 270 staff at the site but a large mainland European operation sees it take on a number of foreign students.

Then in the first twist of the afternoon, police revealed in the early evening that the men had also been arrested in connection with the suspected nail bomb attack at Kanz-ul-Iman Muslim Welfare Association Central Jamia Mosque in Tipton last Friday. It was the first time detectives had officially linked the two crimes, having previously said the investigations were running side by side.

As army bomb disposal experts and police continued to search the area around Talbot Way, West Midlands Police Assistant Chief Constable Marcus Beale said: "I would like to thank the public for their ongoing support and the way in which they responded to our appeal. I appreciate that there is significant disruption whilst experts search and check this area. These road closures are essential to ensure that we keep everyone safe.

"Investigations like this are complex and we need to ensure that we obtain every piece of information or forensic evidence possible. This could take some time. What I can say is that we will endeavour to return the local area to normal as quickly as possible."

As night fell on Birmingham, investigations took an astonishing turn as news emerged that another blast may have occurred outside the Wolverhampton Central Mosque in Waterloo Road on June 28.

Acting on information given to police as part of the inquiry into the Walsall and Tipton attacks regarding a possible device activation at the site, officers urgently evacuated the building at around 8pm.

Officers and a military bomb disposal team were sent to the scene and a 66ft cordon was put in place leading to a number of road closures.

Searches took place around the site throughout the evening with worshippers forced to carry out their evening prayers in the grounds of the Dunstall Hill Community Centre.

Worshippers broke their Ramadan fast alongside police officers and shared food and water in the centre in a serene atmosphere.

A senior member of the mosque, Mahmood Khan, said they had been fully compliant with police as the dramatic events unfolded yesterday. The 45-year-old added: "We're just sticking together and keeping things as normal as possible.

"The message is for everybody to keep calm – prayers during Ramadan are continuing and we're using the community centre. I'd like to thank the police and the wider community."

Mr Khan, who is chief executive of TLC College which neighbours the mosque, said a police presence had gradually increased throughout the day until the decision was taken to evacuate it.

He said: "Police felt there was enough reason to evacuate the mosque.

Ward councillor Tersaim Singh was among those who gathered at police cordons surrounding the mosque.

He said the news had come as a shock and added: "I'm really concerned with what's going on. We haven't had any problems in the community and we live in harmony. Hopefully it's just a precaution and things will blow over.

"It's a popular mosque and has been here for many years – most of the people that use it live around here."

Following the explosions, police patrols have been stepped up across the West Midlands, including around mosques and religious premises.

Those living close to the explosion and arrest sites have today spoken of their shock.

Sham Sharma, who runs Broad Street-based electronics shop Sunitek.com and is chairman of the Wolverhampton Business Forum - which changed its name from the Asian Business Forum to open itself up to all traders - said last night's events were 'very sad'.

Mr Sharma, 55, a Hindu who moved to Wolverhampton from India in 1969, said: "Wolverhampton has been overall a very peaceful city to live in and in all the time I have been living here the other cultures and groups have lived together harmoniously. It is the people on the fringes that have an agenda to disrupt our society who are responsible.

"We won't let that happen and we will rise to the challenge and work together. The city is struggling enough at the moment and something like this will put extra pressure on it."

Anisha Akther, 20, who lives near the Talbot Way scene in Birmingham said: "The first we knew of it was when the police put up the tape.

"At first we thought someone had been stabbed but then heard that it was to do with a bomb. It is really frightening."

Her friend Sharmina Khanam, 21, added: "This is an area where everyone gets on so this has come as a total shock. There have been a lot of police around but we haven't really been told why. We have all heard of what has been happened at Walsall and Tipton and it is particularly worrying with the EDL protest just a few days away."

Wolverhampton City Council leader Roger Lawrence, who represents St Peter's ward, said: "These sorts of incidents are deplorable.

"I want to commend the police for the action they've taken in working with the local community to ensure community safety."

Meanwhile, Zia Ul-Haq, a leader at the Rutter Street mosque, praised the police's operation. He said: "We are grateful for the work that is being undertaken on these matters. The arrests have reassured us after a period of concern following the bomb at our mosque and the one in Tipton. This has been particularly distressing as it is taking place during the month of Ramadan but people are coping well.

"We hope this is a major breakthrough and that it will bring an end to this madness."