Controlled explosion on part of Tipton bomb found in garden

Police carried out a controlled explosion yesterday on part of the device detonated in Friday's nail bomb attack near a mosque in Tipton, West Midlands.

No one was injured in Friday's attack, which officers said was designed to cause "serious harm", near the Kanz Ul Iman Masjid mosque. But police took yesterdays's action after a search of a cordoned-off area.

A spokesman said: "Following forensic searches, officers have found what appears to be a potential small component part of the device in a back garden of one of the properties. For safety reasons, the item cannot be moved, so specialist army bomb disposal officers will need to carry out a small controlled explosion at the scene to make the item safe."

Ghulam Rasool, a local imam, implored community members not to let inter-faith relations be undermined. The incident would not change residents' attitudes, he said, adding that everyone believed in shared values such as freedom of speech and religious expression. "The people of Tipton and Sandwell will not succumb to disharmony."