Church knife attack injures 3 in Birmingham

Three Sunday worshippers have been stabbed in a knife attack at a church service in Birmingham, local media reported Sunday.

The knifeman was restrained by ushers before he stormed inside the church, according to witnesses.

Three men were injured and taken to hospital but their conditions are not thought to be life threatening, the Birmingham Mail reported.

The church's website named the three victims, saying hospital visits are currently restricted to family only and the church will keep updating their situation.

Local police said early investigation suggested that this was a targeted attack as the offender and victims knew each other.

A 46-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of attempted murder.

The church follows the Pentecostal movement which has a strong base in Nigerian communities. The Birmingham-based branch was set up in 2002 and is run by Bishop Melvin Brooks and his wife Pastor Yvonne Brooks.

Knife crime in Britain has long been one of the major social safety concerns. Police statistic show across England and Wales last year there were over 34,000 offences, up 20 percent from a year earlier.