Five Syrian men were arrested after a violent fight broke out between a large group of men using pieces of wood and stones outside the Paola mosque yesterday afternoon.

Shocked witnesses described how the fight suddenly started when some men emerged from the mosque at around 2.15pm following afternoon prayers.

They found another group outside and the fight started.

Eyewitnesses said there were between 12 to 15 men involved.

It was not clear what the men were fighting about.

A number of them were seen wielding pieces of wood and using them as weapons while others picked up large stones and rubble and threw them into the fray.

One resident said he heard a commotion near the main road and immediately called the police.

“They were on the spot in two minutes flat,” he said.

As soon as the men heard the police sirens, they fled towards Laboratory Wharf leaving the area scattered with stones.

The area was crowded with squad cars and a number of officers gave chase as the men ran off.

Another resident described the scene: “The police handcuffed the men and put them in the cars.

“We were surprised as, all of a sudden, we heard a lot of shouting and saw a group of Arabs running in the road.We don’t know what they were saying or why they were fighting as they were speaking in their own language.”

Eventually, the officers managed to round up a group of five and arrested them. One man was taken to hospital for a check-up.