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Man cleared after being arrested over Imam's murder

Jalal Uddin was attacked while walking home from a mosque in Rochdale. Credit: Peter Byrne / PA Wire/PA Images

A man arrested after an Imam was brutally attacked while walking home from a mosque, has been released by murder squad detectives.

Jalal Uddin died in hospital from serious head injuries after being assaulted in a children's playground in Rochdale on Thursday night.

A 31-year-old man arrested on Friday on suspicion of murder has now been released without charge and eliminated from police inquiries.

Detectives say a racist motive for the murder has not been ruled out but they are keeping an "open mind".

Following extensive analysis of CCTV in the area, we now know that Jalal walked into the park from the South Street entrance at 8.41pm. He was then found injured seven minutes later by a passing member of the public.

– Detective Chief Inspector, Terry Crompton

Local religious leaders have called for calm, asked police be allowed to do their work and for locals not to speculate what prompted the attack.

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Thousands of homes without power after substation floods

The power is down to around 10,000 homes. Credit: Andrew Milligan/PA Wire

Around 10,000 homes in Rochdale and Lancashire have lost their electricity supply after flood waters hit a main substation, the Press Association has reported.

Electricity North West said extra engineers have been on standby and teams are working to repair the damage.

We're continuing to work hard in extremely difficult conditions to restore supplies to as many people as we can as quickly as possible, but severe flooding has caused damage to local substations in Rochdale and Lancashire.

We have drafted in extra engineers and will continue to work throughout the day to get everyone back on and we are here 24 hours a day seven days a week so please contact us if you need any advice or information.

– Mark Williamson, operations director for Electricity North West
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Homes evacuated as river bursts its banks after heavy rain causes flooding in Scotland

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Four men charged over child sexual exploitation in Rochdale

Four men have been charged as part of an ongoing investigation to tackle child sexual exploitation in Rochdale, Greater Manchester Police has said.

The charges relate to offences committed against one victim who was under 16 at the time of the abuse by different men.

Hadi Jamel of Yorkshire Street, Rochdale has been charged with one count of sexual activity with a child.

Abid Khan of Whitney Road, Liverpool has been charged with three counts of sexual activity with a child.

Mohammed Zahid of Croxton Avenue, Rochdale has been charged with one count of sexual activity with a child.

Raja Abid Khan of Palatine Street, Rochdale has been charged with one count of sexual activity with a child.

They are all due to appear at Bury and Rochdale magistrates’ court on Tuesday.

No charges after nine Brits stopped at Syria border

The family was stopped near the Syrian border earlier this month.

Six people from Rochdale have been released without charge after a group of Brits were stopped near the Syrian border weeks ago, Greater Manchester Police said.

The six people, aged between 21 and 47, were arrested under the Terrorism Act, with five returned to the UK from Turkey and one arrested in Rochdale.

The arrests came after nine people were stopped by Turkish authorities near the Syrian border.

Following the release, police said: "No evidence was uncovered to suggest any imminent threat to the communities of Rochdale or the U.K."

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