Man gunned down by '3 men in balaclavas' near mosque during Friday prayers in Bradford

Three men wearing balaclavas pulled up in a car and shot a man in broad daylight just yards from a mosque in Bradford, said witnesses.

The man, said to be in his 20's , was gunned down close to the Jamia Abu Hanifa Mosque, in Hustler Street, in the Undercliffe area of the city, on Friday (20 October) according to West Yorkshire Police.

Worshippers observing Friday prayers said they heard gunshots ringing out an estimated 100 yards from the mosque.

Witnesses to the incident said three men in balaclavas pulled up in a car and opened fire at around 2pm, injuring one man in the leg.

In the wake of the incident police insisted the shooting was not connected to the mosque and is not believed to be linked to terrorism or racially motivated.

One worshipper told the Bradford Telegraph that the community was "living in fear".

"I saw lots of police and a man laying on the floor who had been shot. We heard the gunshot while we were inside praying," he said.

"There was an ambulance and about five police vehicles including two riot vans on the scene, and police are still here now. A lot of the people living round here are living in fear.

"I have been told three men in balaclavas pulled up in a car and shot a man. It is lucky there were no children or elders in the street who could have been injured."

The victim has been taken to a nearby hospital with a minor leg wound.

A West Yorkshire Police statement read: "Police were called to Undercliffe Street, Bradford at 1.57pm today following a report of gunshots. Officers attended and found a male in his twenties with a leg wound.

"The injury is not believed to be life threatening and he has been taken to hospital for further treatment.

"Enquiries are continuing at the scene although the injury is believed to be consistent with that of a firearms discharge."