A pig’s head was found outside Newbury’s mosque in Pound Street this morning (Tuesday). Police say they are treating the incident as a hate crime.

Officers were called at around 9.30am and cordoned off the area while they investigated. They are now reviewing CCTV footage and working closely with the mosque’s Imam.

Neighbourhood police team officer, Insp Al Lloyd, said: “This is a matter that we are taking extremely seriously and we will not tolerate hate crime in this area. We are pursuing a number of lines of enquiry and I would urge anyone in the community who has any information about this incident, or who knows who may be responsible, to contact police urgently.”

The incident is the latest in a string of attacks on the mosque.

Newbury Today, 23 October 2012

In 2010 two youths were convicted for their part in the harassment of the Newbury mosque’s imam, Olid Khandokar, who had been “repeatedly singled out by jeering youths who hurled foul abuse and even attacked him with stones as he walked in the town centre”.