Police continue to quiz pair over mosque blasts in Tipton and Walsall
Counter terrorism police have been granted extra time to quiz two foreign students in connection with explosions at three mosques in the Black Country.
Police have been given seven days to question the Ukrainian nationals after an extension was approved at Westminster Magistrates Court this morning.
The 25 and 22-year-old were arrested in Small Heath, Birmingham on Thursday and are suspected of involvement in explosions near mosques in Walsall, Tipton and Wolverhampton.
Remnants of a homemade explosive device were found outside the Aisha Mosque and Islamic Centre in Rutter Street, Caldmore, on June 22. It is believed to have exploded the day before.
Then on July 12, counter terrorism police, the Army and bomb disposal teams were sent to the Kanz-ul-Iman Muslim Welfare Association Central Jamia Mosque in Tipton after nearby residents heard a loud bang which resulted in scattered debris, including nails.
Following the arrest of two men on Thursday an area in Wolverhampton was evacuated and searched near to the Wolverhampton Central Mosque on Waterloo Road.
A seat of an explosion and debris was found with the explosion believed to have happened on June 28.
Assistant Chief Constable Marcus Beale, said: "We continue to investigate the circumstances surrounding the three explosions and are appealing to anyone who may have seen anything suspicious around these dates to contact us.
"We do not underestimate the impact this will have on communities across the West Midlands.
"The support of all communities has been fantastic with wider faith communities coming together to show solidarity.
"I would appeal to people, if you have the smallest piece of information that my help the investigation then please contact us on 101 at the earliest opportunity."
Meanwhile, defiant leaders of one of the mosques today told the extremists behind the attack: "You will never succeed."
A bomb was planted on the Five Ways island, near to Wolverhampton Central Mosque.
But the place of worship has reopened as usual and leaders insisted those behind the attack would not win.
Iftikhar Ahmed, spokesman for the mosque in Waterloo Road, said: "The community in Wolverhampton is close.
"The police operation happened at a peak time for us because we are in Ramadan but it has been business as usual with 500 people there for our Friday prayers."
The 51-year-old, a former Royal Navy serviceman, added: "I'm not sure what anyone's intentions were and we have to respect that the police are working tirelessly on this. Without doubt there is anxiety but these fringe extremists want to get the community at each other's throats but they will never succeed."
Mr Ahmed, who has lived in the city since the age of seven since moving from Kashmir in India, added: "Wolverhampton is a much better community than when I first came here. It is much more diverse.
"What we need to do is pull together and let us find a way of pre-empting this. We need to say 'this is our town, this is our city and we don't want this happening here'."
The mosque became the focus of a counter terrorism investigation on Thursday night following the arrest of two Ukranian men from Small Heath in Birmingham.
They were held in relation to two blasts at a mosque in Tipton and Walsall after police swooped and took them into custody.
Intelligence from that arrest led police to Wolverhampton, where they found a device had been placed on the Five Ways Island. It had exploded at 9.15pm on June 28.
Wolverhampton City Councillor Zahid Shah said: "People in Wolverhampton are anxious but they are capable of getting through this. Extremists are trying to drive a wedge between people in the area but they are not going to do so because Britain is a multi-cultural community."
Secretary of state for communities and local government Eric Pickles today praised people in Wolverhampton. "The response to the events in Wolverhampton shows a city united against hate."
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