Mosque caretaker assault fake: Police

Manama : The reported assault on the caretaker of a mosque in Hamad Town in the Northern Governorate by two masked men last Wednesday was faked by the caretaker himself, police officials said here yesterday.

According to police, the caretaker faked his own assault and published false pictures of him covered in blood.

“An investigation into the case revealed that the caretaker faked the incident by injuring himself, asking an Asian worker to take his photos,” said a statement by the Interior Ministry said.

The incident was reported by a local Arabic daily and several social media networks, claiming that “the caretaker of Al Zahraa Mosque in Hamad Town was assaulted in the wee hours of Wednesday by two masked men”.

“The 54-year-old was hit from the back while opening the mosque for dawn prayers (Fajr). He was beaten by the attackers who quickly escaped when they couldn’t find anything to steal from the mosque,” the reports mentioned.

 “The caretaker and the Asian worker admitted the findings to the police, as the latter highlighted that he photographed him upon his request and handed him the photos. Legal proceedings have been taken,” Northern Governorate Police General Director Colonel Abdulla Al Jairan said.

The official urged the media to “verify information before publishing”, to avoid harming civil peace, adding that “it is better to not publish such photos before verifying with security authorities or official sources”.