Mosques in Scotland tighten security after foiled terror plot, series of Islamophobic attacks

GENEVA

Mosques across Scotland have tightened security following a foiled terror plot and a series of attacks on Islamic centers, with the country’s largest mosque in Glasgow now under 24-hour protection, local media reported Friday.

Omar Afzal from the Scottish Association of Mosques said there was “a great deal of fear and alarm within the community.”

“It’s feeling really under threat and really vulnerable. Mosques across the country are really looking at their security measures and increasing them,” he told LBC.

Afzal said some centers had already hired guards. “The country’s largest, for example, Glasgow Central Mosque, has 24-hour security now as a result of what’s happened over the last few months,” he added.

The measures follow several incidents. In March, a teenager threw paint over a mosque in Aberdeen and smashed a window while people were inside. The following month, vandals targeted a mosque in Elgin for the third time, damaging several windows.

More recently, the Newton Mearns Islamic Centre reported an incident in which a man allegedly attacked a schoolgirl in the street and made threats against Muslims.

In August, a 17-year-old was jailed for 10 years after plotting to burn down the Inverclyde Muslim Centre in Greenock. The teenager, described in court as Nazi-obsessed, had befriended worshippers to gain access to the building before planning a mass murder.