(Reuters) - A man accused of stabbing a prayer leader inside a north London mosque appeared in court on Saturday charged with causing grievous bodily harm and was remanded in custody to appear again next month.
Daniel Horton is alleged to have stabbed muezzin Raafat Maglad, 70, at the Central London Mosque, near Regent's Park, on Thursday.
Horton, 29, who is homeless, appeared at Westminster Magistrates' Court, where he was also charged with possession of a bladed article and breaching an unrelated restraining order, police said.
He was remanded in custody to appear at Southwark Crown Court on March 20.
Maglad was stabbed around the top of his shoulder in the attack but was able to return to the mosque the next day.
"I just felt blood flowing from my neck and that's it - they rushed me to the hospital. Everything happened all of a sudden," he told the BBC.
The attacker was apprehended by worshippers until police arrived, the London Central Mosque Trust said in a statement.
Police said afterwards they did not believe the incident was terrorism-related.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson condemned the attack.
"It's so awful that this should happen, especially in a place of worship," he said on Twitter on Thursday. "My thoughts are with the victim and all those affected."