Man pulled gun in mosque

A Muslim worshipper who tried to fire a gun in a mosque has been found guilty of intending to cause fear of violence.

A jury at Chichester Crown Court unanimously convicted Amir Khan, 27, of Ladypool Road, Birmingham, of possessing a firearm with intent to cause fear.

But they acquitted him of possessing a firearm with intent to endanger life.

Khan denied both charges.

By good fortune, perhaps by spiritual intervention, or more likely because there was a fault with the gun, it jammed

Irshad Sheikh, prosecuting

Judge Anthony Thorpe adjourned the case for sentencing until 5 March.

Irshid Khan, prosecuting, had earlier told the court how Khan pulled out the gun, aimed it at an elder from the mosque in Crawley, West Sussex, and pulled the trigger before he was bundled to the ground.

No-one was hurt because the semi-automatic pistol jammed during the incident in June last year.

The jury heard how the attack on Khan revolved around allegations he was having an affair with a married woman from the local Muslim community.

Man beaten

Irshad Sheikh, prosecuting, said police officers had been stationed outside the mosque in Pelham Road during the weekly meeting, after an incident earlier that day at a local school.

Towards the end of the prayer meeting, worshippers heard a fracas in the hall and one worshipper, Ikhlaq Rafiq, left and saw three men beating another man.

After pushing the group into a car park, Mr Rafiq saw Khan pull out the gun and aim it at the group which had been attacking him.

Mr Rafiq said in his statement to police the gun was fired into the air.

Modified gun

An elder from the mosque, Younis Khan, stood directly in front of the defendant and pleaded with him to put the gun down.

Mr Sheikh said; "The defendant told him to get out of the way.

"Mr Younis did not move out of the way, but in spite of this, the defendant was seen to pull the trigger of the gun.

"By good fortune, perhaps by spiritual intervention, or more likely because there was a fault with the gun, it jammed."

Khan was then wrestled to the ground.

A ballistics expert later found the gun had been modified to fire ball bearings.

In a police interview, Khan denied taking the gun into the mosque and claimed it was produced by another man at the scene and he prised it from him.