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A worshiper was attacked by three men as he was returning home from evening prayers at a mosque in Birmingham.

The 73-year-old man was kicked in the back on York Road in the Kings Heath area at around 23:00 BST on Wednesday.

West Midlands Police said he had fallen during the attack and hit his head on a notice board. He remains in the hospital.

The assailants on Wednesday, who had gotten out of a black vehicle parked on the street, fled.

The victim remains in hospital with a broken hand and cuts to his face, police said, adding that the motive for the attack was unclear.

Sergeant Chris Gallon, of the force, said: “This was a terrible attack on a member of the public who was on his way home.

“We will be taking a full statement from the victim, who remains in hospital today, and we already have officers in the area this morning retrieving CCTV and conducting house-to-house investigations.

“We are working hard to identify the attackers and the car they were in.”

The suspects are described as two white men and one black man, all between the ages of 18 and 30 and wearing tracksuits.

Additional officers remained on the scene in and around York Road to reassure the public, West Midlands Police said.

In a statement, the city’s Central Mosque said it was “shocked by the attack on an elderly member of the community.”

“Our thoughts and prayers are with our older brother and his family,” the management committee said.

He confirmed that the police had been in contact with the leaders of the mosques in the city “to allay any fears and offer support, particularly with the continuous evening prayers during Ramadan.”