A man has been arrested after a copy of the Quran was burned in Manchester city centre.
The 47-year-old was detained on suspicion of a racially aggravated public order offence following the incident at the Glade of Light memorial on Saturday.
A livestream captured the burning of the holy book next to the statue, which commemorates the victims of the 2017 Manchester Arena bombing.
The man was arrested at around 2.45pm and remains in custody for questioning.
Muslims consider any copy of the Quran to be sacred, meaning such an act is deeply offensive to believers. This contrasts with Christian beliefs, where the word of God is seen as holy, but the physical Bible itself is not.
Assistant chief constable Stephanie Parker said: "We understand the deep concern this will cause within some of our diverse communities and are aware of a live video circulating.
"We made a swift arrest at the time and recognise the right people have for freedom of expression, but when this crosses into intimidation to cause harm or distress we will always look to take action when it is reported to us."
