This statement from the police officials.
Mosque blast was 'intended to cause serious harm'
Police have confirmed details of an explosion near a mosque in Tipton. The blast is understood to have centred on an embankment near a disused rail line running behind the Kanz Ul Iman Masjid mosque.
We can't say for definite the explosion was intended to damage the mosque but the most likely conclusion is it was intended to cause serious harm to people or property.
That leads us to have a working assumption, based on what we know now, that this is an act of terrorism.
We have a large number of experts and specialists working on this case and I'm confident we'll get to the bottom of exactly what happened.
We have officers visiting local mosques and other places of worship to offer reassurance...and the response from the mosque has been very supportive.
This is greatly helping our enquiries.
– Assistant Chief Constable Gary Cann