British police said on Thursday they had arrested a man on suspicion of attempted murder after a stabbing at a mosque in central London.

“A man in his 70s was found injured. His condition has been assessed as non life-threatening,” London police said in a statement.

Photographs shared on social media from inside the mosque in Regent's Park showed a white man in a red top being pinned to the ground and handcuffed by two police officers.

A Twitter user, @MurshHabib, who posted one of the photos said the mosque's muezzin — a religious leader who calls the faithful to prayer — had been stabbed in the neck.

The picture showed a group of male worshippers in their winter overcoats standing nearby and watching the scene.

The London ambulance service said the injured man was taken “to a major trauma centre”.