Knife-wielding attacker strikes man burning Quran outside Turkish consulate in London PHOTO

A violent confrontation erupted outside the Turkish Consulate in London’s Knightsbridge district on February 13 afternoon, when a man burning the Quran was attacked by an individual wielding a knife.

The shocking incident, captured on video and shared widely on X (formerly Twitter), shows a man with a rucksack and a hooded sweatshirt holding a book that was set alight, waving it near the consulate’s security barrier on Rutland Gardens. The man was allegedly burning the Quran in an act that quickly escalated into violence, Caliber.Az reports citing foreign media.

The footage then cut to a scene where the man was seen lying on the road, being violently kicked by another man. The attacker, visibly enraged, spat at the victim, grabbed the burning book from his hands, and then pulled out a knife. In a terrifying moment, the attacker appeared to attempt to slash the man while he was defenceless on the ground.

Police confirmed that the victim sustained injuries to his finger, though he did not suffer any stab wounds. The man was taken to the hospital for treatment. Authorities arrested the attacker at the scene on suspicion of possession of an offensive weapon and grievous bodily harm. Both police and an ambulance were quickly on the scene.

An X account has been posting a running commentary of the incident. There was an earlier post that forewarned the burning, with the account holder writing: “45 minutes till the event” with a book and a fire emoji.

This latest incident follows a similar event in Sweden, where a man who had sparked violent protests by burning the Quran was shot dead on the evening of January 30. Salwan Momika was killed in an apartment in Södertälje, Stockholm, prosecutors said.

Unrest erupted after Momika set fire to a copy of Islam's holy book outside Stockholm Central Mosque in 2023. Following the shooting, Stockholm police confirmed that five people had been arrested after a man in his 40s was shot dead overnight.

By Vafa Guliyeva