A man has been stabbed in a mosque in Regent’s Park.

A man has been stabbed at London Central Mosque in Regent's Park.

Police were called to Park Road 3.10pm to reports of a stabbing.

Officers attended along with paramedics from the London Ambulance Service (LAS). A man, in his 70s, was found with stab injuries.

He was treated by paramedics before being taken to hospital. His condition has been assessed as non life-threatening.

A man was arrested at the scene on suspicion of attempted murder, and police have said they are not treating the incident as terror-related.

Ayaz Ahmad, speaking on behalf of the mosque's directors, said in the first cycle of the prayer the Muaddhin, a "dedicated individual" who has been with the mosque "25 to 30 years" was stabbed.

"It would have been life threatening if it wasn't for the worshippers who helped stop the guy," he said, continuing: "There were a couple of hundred people within the mosque.

"We are waiting for the police to give us more updates on who he was. It went quiet and the imam speedily ended the prayer."

He described the incident as "shock and horror", adding: "Men were screaming while the attack was going on. It was a vicious attack. We regularly hear about knife crime but in the circumstances to see it first hand can be very shocking."

Waleed Mohammed, who said he was a regular mosque-goer and lived around the corner, identified the victim as a man called Raafat.

"He is part of the furniture here. He would be quite sad to find out after thirty years someone has tried to kill him," he said, adding: "I have been coming here since I was a kid. He was a witness at my wedding. Me and him both like boxing. He was a big fan of Muhammad Ali. Even at 70 he has a very good block on him.

"There should have been more security to protect him."

Met Chief Superintendent Helen Harper said: "This was a profoundly shocking incident inside a place of worship and an urgent investigation is being carried out into the circumstances.

"Although we believe this to be an isolated incident, patrols have been increased around the area of the mosque to provide reassurance to worshippers and the local community."

The London Ambulance Service (LAS) said the man stabbed at the mosque near Regent's Park has been taken to a major trauma centre.

The service tweeted: "We sent an ambulance crew, a paramedic in a car and an advanced paramedic practitioner to this incident in Regent's Park.

"We treated a man at the scene and took him to a major trauma centre."

A crime scene has been put in place. Enquiries continue.

Anyone with any information about the incident is asked to call the police on 101 quoting CAD 4475/20FEB, or to remain anonymous, call Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111 or at www.crimestoppers-uk.org.