The incident reportedly occurred when Ramadan prayer was going on.

Police were called to reports of a "masked" man with a firearm entering the Seven Kings Masjid in Ilford at 22:45 BST on Thursday, reported BBC.

Worshippers ushered him out of the building and a gunshot - thought to have come from a "blank-firing handgun" - was then heard, reported the British media.

No one was hurt in the incident.

Police said the incident is not being treated as an Islamophobic, hate crime or terror related incident .

Metropolitan Police said in a statement: "Initial enquiries indicated that the incident may have stemmed from an earlier altercation in the street close to the mosque."

Officers continue to work closely with representatives from the mosque and are providing reassurance to the local community.

At this early stage, ballistic evidence recovered from the scene suggests that the weapon was a blank firing handgun, reported the Metropolitan Police website.

No arrests have been made so far.