“When he showed the final version to me, I said, ‘Now you have made a film with a capital F. It is your film. It is your vision’, and it settles the legacy of our father, who had invented a massive thing of the same name, but Justin made something humanist telling an important story.”

Josh Kerr stormed to Commonwealth Games mile gold as Scotstoun rocked to The Proclaimers.

It took the Scot less than four minutes to cover the distance. By the finish, the rest looked as though they had walked all 500 miles.

In a tactical and scrappy race, where sharp elbows were needed, Kerr surged to the front on the final lap and kicked clear of a world-class field to cross the line in 3:54.22, 12 seconds slower than his recent world record, but this mission had a higher purpose.

Australia’s Cameron Myers, widely viewed as his closest rival, had talked a big game but had no answers when the Scot turned on the burners with 200m to go.

Former world champion Timothy Cheruiyot of Kenya completed the podium, but this was ultimately a race at the mercy of the man of the moment.

Records can define you, but they don’t last forever; no one was removing this night from the history books as Kerr became the first Scot to win a middle distance blue riband at the Games.

“This means everything. It was the championship of my season, it was the one I’d circled on the calendar,” said Kerr.

“It doesn’t get any better than this. It was absolutely incredible. In front of a Scottish crowd where I learned how to race. I came here week after week growing up as a kid.

“I had a lot of energy to pull out a gap in the last 200m, so I decided to go early and save everyone some stress.”

Sixty years after the mile was last contested at the Commonwealth Games, and 72 years after Roger Bannister and John Landy went stride for stride in one of the most famous races of all time, Kerr secured his place in history.

He may have started favourite after breaking the 27-year-old world mile record in London two weeks ago, but he knew it would be no procession.

Myers, just 20, is viewed as one of the sport’s rising middle-distance stars, while teammate Ollie Hoare won the 1500m title four years ago in Birmingham.

And then there was fellow Scot Jake Wightman, the former world champion who is always dangerous in major championships when fully fit.

“I felt relaxed,” said Kerr, who has just 13 days to reset his sights on the 1500m at the European Championships in Birmingham and a potential showdown with arch-rival Jakob Ingebrigtsen.

“London was a big stress and I pushed my body to the absolute limit, so I really had to use my brain to save my body there.

“I didn’t put the performance together I wanted at the last Commonwealth Games and I felt the British crowd deserved more from me. I owed them that.”

Meanwhile, Jazmin Sawyers finally has the outdoor athletics gold she’s always dreamt of.

Eight years ago, the talented singer recorded Team England’s anthem. Now she was at the top of the medals podium rather than the pop charts.

Sawyers upgraded the Commonwealth long jump silver she won 12 years ago in Glasgow, producing a best effort of 6.93m to secure the title with room to spare.

Injuries have long plagued the 32-year-old’s career, and Sawyers spent 20 months on the sidelines after rupturing her Achilles in the build-up to the Paris Olympics.

She won the European indoor title three years ago but confessed this triumph went straight to the top of her achievements, 15 years after she made her international debut.

“It hasn’t properly hit me yet. This is the thing I’ve been telling myself all the horrible bits are for,” said Sawyers.

“The feeling is overwhelming. I had to pull out of the British Championships and stop during the Diamond League because my body was telling me, ‘No, you’re not ready and you’re going to hurt yourself’. For the first time in my career, I was protecting the major championships, and I think it worked.”

Thanks to National Lottery players, more than £33m is raised every week for good causes. It’s because of you that sport, arts, heritage and community projects, as well as our athletes competing at the Glasgow 2026 Commonwealth Games, are supported across the UK.

Animal rights campaigners have demanded the World Black Pudding Throwing Championships use vegan alternatives, arguing it was wrong for the ‘blood and fat’ of pigs to be hurled for ‘a bit of fun’.

The annual competition, held in Ramsbottom, Lancashire, sees rivals throw bloody sausages in a bid to knock traditional Yorkshire and Lancashire black puddings off a 20ft high plinth.

The quirky northern tradition is said to have been inspired by a bitter 1455 battle in nearby Stubbins during the War of the Roses – fought between the House of Lancaster and the House of York.

In a letter to event organisers, Peta said it was wrong for the animals to have their ‘blood and fat thrown at a target for a bit of fun’.

‘It’s all fun and games until someone gets hurt,’ the organisation wrote. ‘In the case of the World Black Pudding Throwing Championships, someone does indeed get hurt: pigs.’

The campaigners also said they would pay for ‘cruelty-free’ options in lieu of the Yorkshire puddings and the bloody sausages thrown towards them.

Paul Jenkins, who organises the annual event, said the ‘quintessential British event’ already offered vegan alternatives to its competitors.

And while he said the championships would not make the use of vegan alternatives compulsory, he said people who opted for them were ‘more than welcome to’.

The quirky northern tradition is said to have been inspired by a bitter 1455 battle in nearby Stubbins during the War of the Roses (Pictured: PTom Lowten celebrating his win in 2019)

Of the event, he said: ‘It’s on the same level as cheese-rolling at this point.’

It comes as Peta also demanded a small Welsh coastal town, famed for its colourful Ballamory-esque homes, be rebranded from its mackerel festival into one about cabbage.

Aberaeron, nestled along the picturesque coast of west Wales, welcomes hundreds of visitors annually for the event marking the end of fishing season.

During the mackerel fiesta, residents carry a huge papier-mâché mackerel through the streets of the town located in Ceredigion.

The procession, mocking ones seen in funerals, sees the faux fish carried through Aberaeron before being burnt on the beach.

Some believe this tradition helps to secure a bountiful mackerel harvest the following season.

However, Peta proposed to event organisers, Aberaeron Yacht Club, that they use a giant papier-mâché cabbage and also included an AI-mocked image in their letter.

Dawn Carr, Peta’s vice-president of vegan projects, penned: ‘Celebrating life-giving plant produce rather than fish slaughter would be more in line with the compassion and warmth Wales is known for.’

In a letter to event organisers, Peta said it was wrong for the animals to have their ‘blood and fat thrown at a target for a bit of fun’

Advertisement

Last year’s annual black pudding throwing contest was won by 18-year-old Harry Ogden, who managed to knock six Yorkshire puddings from the 20ft high plinth

‘Fish value their lives and deserve respect and freedom.’

A man at the club rejected the suggestion, adding that they were not even burning a real fish. 

He asked: ‘What about being cruel to cabbages? 

‘It seems a strange thing to focus on. It’s just a bit of fun, and an excuse, really, to drink some beer. It brings the village together.

‘They should have bigger, more relevant targets, you’d think, than a small little Welsh harbour town.’

Dawn Carr, Vice President of Vegan Corporate Projects said: “Pigs are curious, sensitive animals, who deserve better than being forcibly bred, confined, and slaughtered for a meal, or in the case of this event, a prop. It would be just as entertaining for people to toss a vegan black pudding, a sponge, or a locally grown turnip, so there’s no reason to involve a pig’s blood in the festivities. That’s why PETA is urging the Stubbins Village Community Trust to give the pigs a break by ‘pudding’ on a kinder, and more sustainable, bloodless event.” 

A Florida evangelist who bragged that airline passengers have ‘no choice’ but to listen to her sermons was booted from a flight after the crew said they no longer felt safe with her onboard.

Whitney Lynn, 40, stood in the aisle of an Alaska Airlines jet at Orlando International Airport on Thursday and began preaching as passengers waited for the delayed flight to depart for San Diego.

Lynn recorded the ordeal and shared the footage in a seven-part series on Instagram. She told her fellow travelers that God’s timing was perfect and suggested that he might be protecting them from danger. 

‘Maybe he’s sparing us from danger today,’ she said during the sermon, which lasted less than a minute.

Lynn claimed she finished the message and returned to her seat without being asked to stop or sit down.

But an airline employee then ordered her to collect her belongings and leave the aircraft.

‘The crews don’t feel safe with you,’ he told her in footage Lynn shared on social media.

Lynn repeatedly asked why she was being removed and described the incident as ‘spiritual warfare.’

Lynn is an Orlando-based evangelist, singer-songwriter, producer and self-described ‘deliverance minister’ who regularly records herself preaching in public

‘Demons don’t like the name of Jesus,’ she declared as she prepared to leave.

She then delivered a final message to passengers, telling them: ‘We are in the last days. We are being persecuted, persecuted to be a Christian.’

Lynn continued filming as she confronted the employee escorting her from the jet.

‘I didn’t know the message of Jesus Christ was unsafe,’ she said. ‘So freedom of speech is not safe?’

At one point, she asked the employee whether he was from Puerto Rico because she said she could not understand him.

Lynn later accused him of trying to shut a door on her and failing to notify the airline about her removal.

She also claimed a flight attendant pushed her bag with her foot and then lied about it.

None of Lynn’s allegations against individual employees has been independently verified.

Lynn said she preaches on most flights because passengers ‘have no choice but to hear the truth,’ describing her message as a life raft offered to someone who is drowning

Advertisement

Alaska Airlines allegedly barred Lynn from its flights ‘for the foreseeable future,’ while she said she was considering taking legal action

Lynn subsequently spent about 40 minutes speaking with police officers at the airport and said she had been given the opportunity to pray over them.

No arrests or criminal charges have been reported.

Lynn continued preaching after leaving the plane and claimed that she managed to convert two people.

One of her videos had attracted three million Instagram views by Friday afternoon, according to The Washington Post.

Lynn released footage of the saga in at least seven installments as part of what she called her ‘Kicked Off the Plane for Preaching the Gospel’ series.

She described the sermon as one of the ‘softest’ messages she had ever delivered.

‘This wasn’t a harsh message at all,’ she wrote. ‘That’s why I was so shocked.’

‘But the truth is, demons tremble at the name of Jesus. It doesn’t matter whether the message is soft or bold – when you share the gospel, it offends some people.’

Lynn later spent about 40 minutes speaking with police officers at Orlando International Airport, but she was not arrested or charged

The Florida evangelist has amassed more than 270,000 Instagram followers by sharing videos of her sermons on planes, streets and other public spaces

Alaska Airlines said its crew became increasingly concerned about Lynn’s behavior and removed her for safety reasons.

‘The passenger was asked to deplane the aircraft for safety reasons,’ the airline said.

‘For the foreseeable future, the guest will not be permitted to travel on our flights.’

Lynn said she was initially told she could rebook and arranged to take another flight later that night.

But two and a half hours before its scheduled departure, she received an email from the company’s corporate security department informing her that she had been banned pending an investigation.

The email said she could not travel aboard Alaska Airlines, Hawaiian Airlines or Horizon Air while the companies investigated reports concerning her recent travels.

She received a flight credit but said she had no way to use it while barred from the carriers.

Lynn, who said she was traveling to California to attend a follower’s funeral, ultimately rebooked with another airline.

Some of her followers urged her to sue, but Lynn said she was ‘praying’ about whether to pursue legal action.

The evangelist continued filming as she confronted the employee escorting her from the aircraft and questioned whether her freedom of speech had been violated

She compared herself to the biblical figures Moses and Esther and claimed that the airline had violated her First Amendment rights.

‘This isn’t about anything other than my freedom of speech and my First Amendment rights being infringed upon because of religious discrimination,’ she wrote.

The First Amendment generally restricts government action rather than decisions made by private companies.

Lynn also questioned why members of the LGBTQ community and abortion-rights advocates could speak publicly while she was removed for talking about Jesus.

‘But the minute we talk about Jesus for 56 seconds on a plane, I literally get persecuted, kicked off, and banned?’ she wrote.

Lynn previously discussed her habit of turning aircraft cabins into makeshift churches just days before the incident.

She told The Washington Post that she preached on most flights and recorded the sermons for social media.

‘They have no choice but to hear the truth,’ she said of her fellow passengers.

‘When I have a gift and I have a life raft, if you’re drowning, I want to give you that life raft so you can be saved.’

Lynn claimed she finished her sermon and returned to her seat without any crew member asking her to stop preaching

An earlier video showed Lynn preaching about sin, hell and redemption as passengers waited to leave another plane in San Diego.

‘I just love a captive audience,’ she captioned the footage.

Lynn describes herself as an evangelist, singer-songwriter, producer and ‘deliverance minister’ and has amassed more than 270,000 Instagram followers.

Alaska Airlines has not disclosed what conduct, beyond her sermon and subsequent confrontation, caused the crew to feel unsafe.

The Daily Mail has contacted Lynn, Alaska Airlines and Orlando International Airport for further comment. 

North Yorkshire Council are installing a new zebra crossing in Railway Street in Malton.

A spokesperson for the council said: “This will be installed on the existing raised area outside the Cornmill.

“Work is due to take place between Monday 10 August and Friday 28 August under traffic light control.

“We will also require a full road closure for one or two days.

“The exact date of this closure depends on progress. Please look out for signage for notice of the road closure.

“To facilitate this closure we will be lifting the one-way system.”

A fresh controversy has engulfed the amateur cricket club at the centre of the ‘Clicky Ponting’ cheating scandal after an umpire released footage appearing to show another player deploying the same tactic.

Saltburn Cricket Club has been at the centre of a storm after fielder Brian Devine allegedly cheated during a Second XI Division Two match against Norton. Video footage of Devine appearing to be clicking his fingers to mimic the sound of a bat edge, tricking the umpire into giving the batsman out, went viral on social media.

On Monday, the North Yorkshire and South Durham Cricket League launched an investigation into Devine, 38, who has since been suspended by the club for the ‘foreseeable future’.

Now, fresh footage has emerged appearing to show another Saltburn player successfully using the same tactic during a Third XI match against Marton.

The fielder appears to click his fingers as the ball flies past the bat and into the wicketkeeper’s gloves, prompting the on-field umpire to give the batsman out. The footage was posted on social media by Berkshire-based umpire Andy Smy.

The captain of another team in the same league earlier this week claimed the alleged tactic had not been confined to Saltburn’s victory over Norton.

He said: ‘It was not confined to just one game. I was at the other end when one of our players was dismissed and I heard a big sound as the ball went through and immediately thought: “He’s out.”

‘The umpire didn’t hesitate either, but our batsman was adamant he was nowhere near the ball and couldn’t understand the loud click.

‘In all we had three batsmen given out caught behind, but all of them said they hadn’t touched the ball. One protested so much the umpire had to speak to him and threaten him with a warning.

‘I know of at least three other teams who now have suspicions and it should be noted that in one match against Shildon their wicketkeeper took eight catches.

‘You hear of all kinds of things going on in cricket but this is something I haven’t heard of before. I hope the league takes appropriate action.’

Earlier this week, Saltburn’s Second XI forfeited their match against Marton, dumping themselves out of a cup competition, with a source close to the league saying ‘none of the players will have wanted anything to do with this game while they’re under such focus’.

They did, however, return to the field on Saturday for a league match against Marton. And table-toppers Saltburn crashed to a nine-wicket defeat without Devine fielding at slip, with Marton reaching their total of 101 in just 20 overs.

Amateur cricket player Brian Devine has been caught appearing to click his fingers to make it appear that a batter has been caught behind when in fact they haven’t hit the ball at all

Advertisement

Devine has been dubbed as ‘Clicky Ponting’ on social media for his alleged actions on the cricket field

Saltburn player has been caught on camera seeming to be clicking his fingers

Devine, a father and auction mart worker from Guisborough, North Yorkshire, is planning to ‘lie low’ until the scandal dies down.

A friend said: ‘Brian is completely bewildered by the way this has gone all around the world.

‘He’s had an Australian podcast offering to pay his legal bills today – it’s the first he’s heard that he’s got any legal bills and he’s hoping it won’t get that far.

‘His mates have been telling him to sell his story in Australia, but he just wants it all to go away and hopes he can get back to playing cricket, though at the moment that feels impossible.

‘He woke up on Monday morning thinking the world was still the same place he’d left it the night before and suddenly his story was all over the world – in Australia, India, New Zealand and the UK, of course.

‘He understands why there is an investigation but the reaction from around the world has knocked him sideways.’

The North Yorkshire and South Durham Cricket League said it was treating the allegations of cheating ‘with the utmost seriousness’ and called for the ‘rights of all parties’ to be respected amid intense scrutiny on social media.

‘We would want to place on record our genuine concern for the welfare of those at Saltburn Cricket Club and ask for all to take that into account. There are many people at the club and one of our aims will be to provide them with any wellbeing support we can,’ the league said.

‘Whilst we understand, to some degree, the interest this issue has generated in the press and media, it is imperative that, now this process is under way, the rights of all parties are observed, including the overriding principles of natural justice and the right to a fair hearing for any individual or entity concerned.

‘Anything less risks prejudicing any formal action which may follow.’

Saltburn, in a statement on Wednesday, said: ‘This has been a very distressing and stressful experience for all those concerned, and we would ask that this reality is borne in mind and that personal boundaries are respected, as we are an amateur club run entirely by volunteers.’

Prince William has said he was ‘truly saddened to hear of the tragic death’ of British special forces climber and Netflix star, Nirmal Purja. 

The former British Army soldier, 43, was confirmed dead today after his party vanished in an avalanche on a Pakistani mountain, Broad Peak.

Mr Purja, also known as Nims, was among several missing after the avalanche struck the world’s 12th highest mountain at around 12pm local time on Thursday. 

The 43-year-old had been leading an expedition of ten climbers across the mountain. All have been confirmed dead.

His body was found alongside other members of the expedition following search efforts, his climbing company Elite Expeditions said on Saturday. 

Three explorers, Nepalese climber Pur Bahadur Gurung, Omani climber Nathira Ahmed and American climber Mallory Geis, were also confirmed dead yesterday. 

The Prince of Wales paid tribute to the ex-serviceman, saying that he ‘served with distinction’ before ‘becoming one of the world’s greatest mountaineers’. 

‘I was truly saddened to hear of the tragic death of Nirmal Purja and those who lost their lives in the avalanche on Broad Peak,’ he wrote on X. 

‘Nims served with distinction in the British Armed Forces before becoming one of the world’s greatest mountaineers, putting Nepalese climbers on the map. 

‘His relentless pursuit of what seemed impossible, combined with his humility and selflessness, made him truly unique. 

#My thoughts are with his family and the families of all those who died.’

Earlier today, Made in Chelsea star Spencer Matthews said he was praying ‘for a miracle’ for his mountaneering friend.   

Prince William has said he was ‘truly saddened to hear of the tragic death’ of British special forces climber and Netflix star, Nirmal Purja

It comes as the Prime Minister of Nepal, Balendra Shah, announced ten people in total were killed in the avalanche. 

This included Purja, as well as five Nepalis, one climber from Pakistan and Oman, another from America, as well as one Chinese participant. 

Naila Kiana, a spokeswoman for the Alpine Club of Pakistan, described Purja who had led many of the expeditions, as a ‘very experienced climber’ as well as ‘fearless’.

British adventurer Bear Grylls also tribute to the former British soldier, describing the incident as heartbreaking for ‘so many climbers around the world’ who knew him.

‘We will never forget you Nims and your unstoppable spirit,’ he added.

Purja’s company Elite Expeditions said in a statement: ‘It is with profound sadness and immense heartbreak that we confirm that Nirmal ‘Nimsdai’ Purja, tragically lost his life following the avalanche on Broad Peak. 

‘We have also received confirmation that other members of this expedition sadly did not survive.

‘Today, we mourn not only Nims, but every life lost in this tragedy including his trusted climbing partners and guides, Pur Bahadur Gurung (Yukta) and Nima Sherpa.

‘Our deepest thoughts, prayers and heartfelt condolences are with their families, friends and loved ones. 

‘No words can erase the pain of this unimaginable loss, and we ask that everyone respects their privacy as they grieve.’ 

Broad Peak, at 8,047 meters (26,401 feet), is the world’s 12th-highest mountain and is located in Pakistan’s Karakoram range.

The range is home to five of the world’s 14 peaks above 8,000 meters, attracting climbers from around the globe. 

Earlier, former reality TV star Spencer Matthews said he was praying ‘for a miracle’ for his friend

Advertisement

British adventurer Bear Grylls paid tribute to Mr Purja on Instagram

Purja, who appeared on the 2021 film 14 Peaks: Nothing Is Impossible, was confirmed dead today

Along with Mr Grylls, Mr Purja was enlisted by Spencer Matthews to help recover the body of his brother, Michael, the youngest Briton to summit Everest who disappeared on the mountain in 1999. 

Despite searching with a team, they did not locate Michael. 

Mr Matthews, 37, shared a photo with the mountaineer on Instagram describing the news as ‘heartbreaking’. 

‘The mountains inspire us with their beauty, but they also demand immense respect,’ he said.

‘Every person who ventures into that world understands the risks, yet they go anyway, driven by curiosity, purpose, passion and a deep love for the places few will ever experience.

‘The news from Broad Peak is heartbreaking. So many lives, families, friends and teammates now facing unimaginable loss. Our thoughts are with everyone affected by this tragedy.

‘May those who have been lost be remembered not only for how they died, but for how they lived, the courage they showed, and the lives they touched. Rest in peace.’

Born in a village in western Nepal, Mr Purja joined the Gurkhas in his teens, and in one interview described a pair of flip-flops as a luxury during his childhood.

Mr Purja joined the British Army in 2003 and then went on to become a part of the Special Boat Service – the special forces unit of the Royal Navy – in 2009.

He became the first Gurkha to join the elite unit and worked as a cold-weather warfare specialist. 

He served in the British military for 16 years, ten of which were spent in the special forces, and he was awarded an MBE by the late Queen in 2018 for his achievement in extreme high-altitude mountaineering. 

In 2016, he broke mountaineering conventions to rescue a climber left in the “Everest death zone”, bringing her to safety alone. 

He later rose to prominence when he climbed all 14 of the world’s mountains with peaks above 8,000m (26,247ft) in 189 days – smashing the previous record by more than seven years. 

Broad Peak, at 8,047 meters (26,401 feet), is the world’s 12th-highest mountain

Advertisement

Mr Purjal’s documentary received critical acclaim upon its release

The challenge was the focus of a Netflix documentary called 14 Peaks: Nothing Is Impossible. 

At the time, he said: ‘It has been a gruelling but humbling six months, and I hope to have proven that anything is possible with some determination, self-belief and positivity.

‘I could not have made it happen without the unending support of my friends and family who have been in my heart this entire time. We started with nothing, but look how far we’ve come.’ 

Mr Purja, who lived with his wife and three-year-old daughter in Hampshire in southern England, said he was the first Gurkha to climb Everest while serving in the British military. 

The farmer, television personality and bestselling author will release Cosy Bedtime Stories from the Farm on September 3, shortly before she returns to screens in a new series of Our Farm Next Door: Amanda, Clive and Kids.

The book features ten short stories inspired by Amanda’s life with her nine children on their remote 2,000-acre hill farm in Swaledale, North Yorkshire.

Yorkshire Shepherdess, Amanda Owen (Image: SUBMIT)

Readers will follow the family as they walk beside a winding river, watch wildlife, camp beneath the stars and spend time with a sheepdog puppy beside the fire.

The stories are intended to show both the demanding and quieter sides of life on a working farm, with the Owen children and Ravenseat’s animals providing much of the inspiration.

Published by Puffin and illustrated by Becca Hall, the collection is aimed at children aged six and above and has been designed for parents and youngsters to read together at bedtime.

The front of Amanda’s new book (Image: SUBMIT)

It will also contain quizzes and a glossary explaining farming words and phrases encountered throughout the stories.

An audiobook version, narrated by Amanda herself, will be released alongside the hardback and ebook editions.

Amanda, who was born in Huddersfield before moving into farming, has previously spoken about how reading James Herriot’s books helped inspire her to pursue a life in the countryside.

She has since written five Sunday Times bestselling books and published her first children’s collection, Christmas Tales from the Farm, in 2025.

Amanda with some of her children (Image: SUBMIT)

That book introduced younger readers to festive stories based on the people and animals living around Ravenseat, including runaway reindeer, mischievous goats and a clever sheepdog.

Its paperback edition is due to be published on October 1, adding to Amanda’s growing collection of books for children.

The new release comes as Amanda, her former husband Clive and their children prepare to return to television later this year.

Channel 4 previously commissioned two further series of Our Farm Next Door: Amanda, Clive and Kids, which follows the family’s efforts to restore a derelict farmhouse close to Ravenseat.

Some of Amanda’s children (Image: SUBMIT)

The property, known locally as Anty John’s, is being transformed into a new family home after years of neglect.

The forthcoming episodes will see work move inside the building, with the family planning its rooms and tackling major jobs including plumbing and the installation of running water.

Cameras will also continue to document everyday farming life at Ravenseat and Amanda’s efforts to uncover the history of the old property.

The programme marked Amanda and Clive’s return to television together following the end of their hugely successful Channel 5 series Our Yorkshire Farm.

That show attracted audiences of more than three million viewers and followed the challenges of raising nine children while running one of Britain’s most isolated hill farms.

At an event held this morning (August 1) at York Mosque, people gathered to share tea and biscuits with its community and show their solidarity after the events of the last few days with attendees including emergency services, politicians, and nearby residents.

It follows North Yorkshire Police saying a man was arrested after a shot was reportedly fired using an air rifle outside the mosque in Bull Lane at about 2.20am on Thursday (July 30).

Superintendent Ed Haywood-Noble, senior operational commander for York and Selby, said it had been a “worrying time for everyone connected to York Mosque”, but the police investigation “has not identified an intention to cause injuries or distress to people”.

RECOMMENDED READING:

The force said there was also no evidence to suggest the alleged incident was “specifically targeted against the Muslim community in York”.

Police confirmed yesterday that a 44-year-old York man arrested in connection with the investigation has been charged with possessing a loaded air weapon, a .22 air rifle, in a public place.

He has been bailed with conditions, including to keep away from York Mosque, and is due to appear at York Magistrates’ Court on September 21, police said.

No one was injured during the alleged incident and the mosque has since resumed its daily prayers.

At the mosque, Professor Mohammed El-Gomati, one of the founders of York Mosque and its spokesperson, said that they were humbled by the support that they’d received from the public and the appreciative of the police’s support.

Professor Mohamed El-Gomati, one of the founders of York Mosque (Image: Dylan Connell)

He said: “The police were very quick; they managed to identify the culprit very quickly and arrested the person. They cordoned the mosque, got their evidence, and thankfully we were able to reopen for our community kitchen.

“Two, if not three, times the amount of people who normally would come to our events came along, so we had easily over one hundred people attend. It’s nice to see and hear that type of engagement. We’ve had a lot of well wishers who wrote cards for us and phoned in, so we’re really humbled.

“I’m proud of this and really humbled by the reaction – it makes me so proud that this is the city that I’m a citizen of. That person does not represent the community in York.”

He was joined by fellow event organiser and the mosque’s president, Mohamad Douba, who said the air rifle being reportedly discharged was “disturbing for many members of our community” but he was delighted to see people in the city rally around them.

York Mosque Community Kitchen on Thursday (July 30) with Faizal Mohamudbuccus, centre (Image: Faizal Mohamudbuccus)

Mohamad said: “Obviously, it’s great to know that if anything happened here in the future, we would be safe. The number of messages showing their support we’ve had is overwhelming and it makes us feel proud to be part of the community in York.

“We’ve had messages from all different faith groups and non-religious people have been sending their messages, plus the neighbours have dropped cards in to stay they stand with us.

“We feel like we have a duty for the wider community too with the kitchen, our open days, and we love to invite the community to chat with us just like today.

“Some people haven’t interacted with Muslims before and they have misconceptions from what they hear in the media, so when they do, they realise they’re people just like us.”

Also at the event were a number of York’s politicians, including the Liberal Democrat Cllr Tony Fisher and York Central MP Rachael Maskell.

Squash, crisps, and biscuits (Image: Alice Kavanagh)

Rachael said: “It’s really important what the Muslim community in York have done today in opening their doors to the wider community as a means of saying thanks for all the support they’ve had.

“I know people across the city have been really shocked in hearing about the incident. I’m grateful for the police for the swift action, but also in giving that assurance to the community to that, they are there for everybody across York.

“I think York just works as a community, and I think the people here are a testament to this community – even this week, supporting people experiencing deprivation and just bringing people together and talking, that’s what we want is to feel that sense of solidarity.”

Rachael Maskell and Tony Fisher (Image: Alice Kavanagh)

Tony added: “I sent an email to the Mosque showing my support after Thursday and they sent me a nice response inviting me down. I’ve been here three or four times before and I’ve been treated like an honoured guest and I know quite a few of the people here.

“They’re just such a nice people and the relationship between the Muslim community and the rest of the city is just exemplary.”