A package of pigs’ heads has been dumped outside an old ambulance station in Solihull, near Birmingham, days after claims it was being used as a mosque.
West Midlands police have described the incident as a hate crime after the plastic bag containing the four animal heads was left on the doorstep of what is now a community centre.
CCTV showed a man leaving the package before driving away in a light-coloured saloon car on Sunday. It happened the night after some of the building’s windows were damaged in a separate incident. Last week, Solihull Metropolitan borough council was reported to be looking into allegations of a breach of planning rules following claims the centre was being used as a mosque without local authority consent.
The council’s inquiry was launched as an online petition– which attracted more than 3,000 signatures – protested against the fact that residents had not been consulted about the building becoming a mosque.
Ch Supt Alex Murray, of West Midlands police, said the people who dumped the pigs’ heads should come forward “before we come and knock on their door”.
“We’ve secured good quality CCTV of the culprits and my detectives are making good progress with the investigation,” he said. “The forensic evidence we have is also very strong and we expect a result from that in the coming days.”
The Guardian