“I felt a responsibility to find them and arrest them. They were asking people for Muslim words and just punching out at Christian people”
Edris Nosrait
A Muslim man brought down a gang of Islamic thugs who went on spree attacking “white Christian” strangers.
Edris Nosrati confronted Amin Mohmed, Mohammed Patel and Faruq Patel after he saw them harassing a couple in the street.
When he went to confront the trio he became worried they may be ISIS terrorists when they made him prove he was Muslim.
But the brave witness called police, chased after them and tackled Faruq to the ground after putting the laughing yob in a headlock.
The 35-year-old, originally from Iran, today said he hoped their actions would not make people tar all Muslims with the same brush.
“If those guys, if nobody caught them and the police didn’t arrest them, they maybe would do something worse.
“I felt a responsibility to find them and arrest them. They were asking people for Muslim words and just punching out at Christian people.
“It was something really terrible, something really, really nasty. It’s not fair that these three guys did something really stupid.
“Maybe tomorrow people will be thinking of other Muslims and thinking they have the same idea or mentality, but everyone is different.
“That kind of thing – what religion you have, or what political group you like, that is personal and nobody should be attacked because of it.”
Edris said he was walking home after a night out with friends when he saw the drunken gang attacking a white man who was with his girlfriend.
He said: “I went to them and said ‘it’s not fair three people just attacking one person’ and they started asking me if I was Muslim.
“I said ‘it doesn’t matter if I am or I am not, he is a human and it’s not fair for you three to be attacking him’.”
They asked if he knew Islamic words, so he replied with a well-known Arabic phrase and was told he could go.
Edris said he feared the group may be terrorists because what they were saying was “really dangerous” and “abuse and radical ideas”.
He said: “My feeling wasn’t comfortable. So when they left Bold Street I followed them and straight away phoned the police.”
Edris explained what was happening to officers as he saw them attack more people, before his phone battery died as they reached Mount Pleasant.
Liverpool Crown Court heard Mohmed, 24, and Mohammed, 20, admitted punching Gary Bohanna and kicking him in the groin when he revealed he was Christian.
Laughing Faruq, 19, filmed Mohmed punching St Helens councillor Paul Lynch to the ground, as his terrified girlfriend tried to protect him.
Faruq, who was not convicted of a racial or religious motive, only admitted recording the final attack on Mr Lynch.
However, Edris said: “I had seen one of these men just making videos. From every single attack he made a video.
“When police arrived, the guy he was really relaxed. He was smart. He was looking at his phone.
“I thought he might be deleting the videos. I tried to take the phone from his hand.
“He didn’t let me take it and with the mobile he punched me in my face.
“I put him in a headlock and dropped him to the ground and I took the mobile.”
Edris said he gave the phone to a policeman and convinced him to look at a video, saying: “Watch this.”
He said the officer said “f**ing hell, look at that” and called over a colleague, before they arrested the group.
Counter-terrorism officers raided the three men’s homes in Bolton after the incident on March 20 last year, but are not thought to have found anything incriminating.
Mohmed, of Perendale Rise, Bolton, and Mohammed, of Eastbank Street, Bolton, admitted racially or religiously aggravated assault causing actual bodily harm.
Left to right; Faruq Patel, Amin Mohmed and Mohammed Patel
The pair, along with former Liverpool John Moores University student Faruq, of Crumpsall Street, Bolton, also admitted assault causing actual bodily harm and affray.
The judge, Recorder Louise Brandon, said Mohammed “confirmed those targeted that night were targeted because they were white and non-Muslim.”
Mohmed cried as he was jailed for 42 weeks.
Mohammed and Faruq Patel received 42 and 18 weeks respectively in a young offenders institution.
Edris, who came to Liverpool from Iran eight years ago, owns King Taco, a Mexican takeaway in Hawthorne Road, Bootle.
He also works for Tesco and said he had received lots of messages from colleagues and friends praising his actions.
Edris said: “They were really nice to me. I’m really proud of what I did.”
