Mosque in Netherlands targeted by PEGIDA in Islamophobic attack

A mosque in the Netherlands was attacked by members of the Islamophobic German group Pegida, who defaced the building with racist banners, according to a mosque official on Sunday.

At the entrance of the As Soennah mosque, frequented by Moroccan worshippers, the attackers hung banners and figurines including insults to the Prophet Muhammad.

Abdelhamid Taheri, the head of the mosque, told Anadolu Agency that he told police about the attack when he saw the banners after morning prayers.

Taheri said security cameras around the mosque show that the attack was carried out by three people linked to far-right Islamophobic group Pegida.

He added that he had also reported previous attacks to the police, but that they had continued.

Islam is the second-largest religion in the Netherlands, with many believers living in The Hague.