FOUR men were sent on bail to Preston Crown Court when they appeared before Blackburn magistrates charged in connection with an incident in the Randal Street Mosque in which seven men are alleged to have been detained against their will.

Mohammed Akram, 57, of Brantfell Road; Adalat Khan, 49, of Shearwater Drive; Khalil Ahmed, 31, of Moss Gate; and Mohammed Irfan, 41, of Oswald Street, all Blackburn; face a charge of falsely imprisoning Mohammed Khaliq, Allah Ditta Zaffar, Gulam Haji, Iqbal Jawaid, Mehbob Ahmed, Abin Masood and Abdul Jabbar.

They also face a charge of affray over the incident which is understood to be connected with internal elections at the mosque.

Hamid Khan, 54, of Altom Street, and Akbar Hussain, 57, of Gorse Road, both Blackburn, who face the same charges did not appear in court.

Their cases were adjourned until March 27 when they are also expected to be sent to the Crown Court.