London Mosque Attacker Sentenced to 7 Years for Stabbing Muezzin

An English homeless man, whose real name is Daniel Horton, the perpetrator of the attack, pleaded guilty before the Southwart Court to the charges against him. On February 20, 2020, he had stabbed 70-year-old muezzin Raafat Maglad in the neck while he was calling for prayer in a mosque near Regent’s Park. Mr. Maglad left the hospital a day after his assault and even decided to forgive his assailant. "I’m sorry for him," he had told the press, noting that "what’s done is done, he can’t go back."

During the hearing a month ago, prosecutor Benn Maguire had emphasized the trauma experienced by the muezzin who is "less confident when he stands up, turning his back on the faithful and is afraid of being attacked." In addition, he suffers from sleep disorders and his voice has also been affected.

Reacting to this attack, Prime Minister Boris Johnson had said on Twitter that he was "deeply saddened." London Mayor Sadiq Khan, for his part, invited the faithful to "remain vigilant," as the British capital has been the scene of several knife attacks in recent times. For example, in February, the London police had shot dead a man who had stabbed several people in south London. Another attack took place in a park in Reading, west of London, causing three deaths and several injuries.