Man who attacked Imam during prayers arrested

KUANTAN - An allegedly mentally disabled man has been apprehended by the police after attacking a guest Imam at the Sultan Ahmad 1 State Mosque during dawn prayers early Sunday morning.

The incident took place at about 6.18 am, when the suspect, in his 40s, dressed in a purple coloured baju Melayu with a patchwork cloth and black pants, suddenly attacked the victim from behind.

District Police Chief Assistant Commissioner Wan Mohd Zahari Wan Busu confirmed the incident, stating that it happened in the men's prayer hall of the mosque.

He said the imam was a Maahad Tahfiz Thurath’s student, Ilhan Muhammad Irham who was invited to lead the morning prayer at the Khatam Subuh 2.0 Sultan Ahmad 1 State Mosque Programme, here.

"According on the chronology of the incident, a man's voice was heard shouting from the direction of the roller shutter door of the mosque on the path in front of CIMB bank during the second rak’ah of the Subuh prayer with an estimated congregation of 80 people.

"Approximately a minute after that, when the imam was still reciting a surah in prayer, a mentally disabled man came and pushed the congregation behind and headed towards the imam.

“He immediately hit the imam with the slipper that was in his hand. The imam had to avoid the attack which caused the prayer session to be interrupted,” he said in a statement on Sunday.

Previously, a video went viral portraying an incident where a mentally disabled man had beaten the imam at the mosque.

The 30-second video showed him pushing away the congregation before hitting the invited imam with a pair of white slippers.

Wan Mohd Zahari said, the security personnel at the mosque and the congregation had to stop the man after seeing the incident. He explained that the man involved was arrested before being handed over to the police for further action.