A man set fire to a Quran outside the Turkish Consulate in London on Thursday before another man, wielding a knife, attacked him and extinguished the flames, the Daily Mail reported.
Footage circulating on social media shows a man holding a burning Quran outside the consulate in Rutland Gardens, Knightsbridge. The situation escalated when a bystander intervened, kicking and spitting at the protester before pulling out a knife, though no serious injuries were reported.
Metropolitan Police responded to an altercation at 2:11 p.m., finding a man with a minor finger injury and no stab wounds. Paramedics took him to a hospital.
Police took the man who intervened into custody, arresting him on suspicion of possessing an offensive weapon and causing bodily harm.
The protester said on X that he planned to burn the Quran in protest of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, claiming Turkey was becoming a “base for radical Islamists.” He later posted, “While I was burning the Quran, I was stopped and attacked. The ambulance and the police came.”
Police have not released further details about those involved as inquiries continue.