A man suspected of causing criminal damage at Canterbury Mosque has been released without charge after he was arrested yesterday morning.

Police were called to the building in Giles Lane at 2.45am.

Officers attended the scene, where they found the mosque's gate and fence broken.

A 21-year-old man from Heresford was arrested.

Following enquiries with all parties involved, the man has now been released without charge and the matter is being settled by way of community resolution.

Canterbury Mosque's committee posted on Facebook yesterday morning, to report that serious damage has been caused to the gates of the mosque, or 'masjid'.

The incident allegedly took place while members of the mosque, currently observing the holy month of Ramadan, had been about to carry out their Fajr or 'dawn prayer'.

Canterbury Mosque officials claim the man responsible was placed under citizens arrest, before the police arrived.

Their post said: "Some of you may have heard already that about 3 hours ago, 2 minutes before fajr, the masjid was targeted in an aggressive manner causing serious damage to the masjid gates.

"Alhamdulillah we had brothers on site who managed to catch up to the individual and make a citizens arrest before the police arrived and took him away.

"We would like to assure you that Alhamdulillah the masjid is a safe place and we shouldn't allow individuals like this to stop us from attending out social hub, our prayer space, our community centre, study centre etc. These are all the titles we can give to our masjid.

"Alhamdulillah the masjid is a blessing to all of us and we shouldn't be afraid to attend it at any time.

"The matter will be taken seriously by police and we will keep you updated about the outcome."

Just last month, the mosque's Imam Ihsan Khan was sent a "suspicious letter" that contained a white powder, which was later found to be harmless.

Mosques in Gravesend and Maidstone also received similar letters, causing all three places of worship to be closed while an investigation was carried out.