POLICE are investigating after vile hate mail was circulated in Bradford telling recipients to “punish a Muslim”.

Officers in Bradford have acknowledged they are investigating reports of letters with alarming suggestions to cause harm to members of the Muslim community on a specific day.

Councillor Riaz Ahmed (Lib Dem, Bradford Moor) said he received the letter to his business address in Leeds Road this morning.

“It was not addressed to anyone, just the address and postcode as if it was sent out randomly. It has a second class stamp on the plain white envelope and the frank mark is Sheffield. It was posted yesterday,” he said.

“It seems strange that anyone would send something like this to an address in a predominantly Muslim area. When I opened it and saw the content I was horrified.”

The letter is headed ‘Punish a Muslim day, 3rd April, 2018’.

Cllr Ahmed said: “It goes on to ask if you are a sheep and ‘are allowing the white majority nations of Europe and North America to become overrun by those who would like nothing more than to do us harm and turn our democracies into Sharia led police states’.

Cllr Ahmed added: “I think it has been sent out by a group with the intent of alarming people and to stir up racial hatred. They must be disaffected people to do something like this not knowing whose hands it may end up in.

“My main concern is that it could get into the hands of other disaffected people in Bradford who just need that push to act. Some people may look at is at a sick joke. I don’t. I am alarmed by its content especially where it mentions acid because of all the recent reports in the media of acid attacks.”

The letter lists a series of points to be scored for carrying out certain “punishments”.

“It is shocking that anyone would even think of putting something like this together and posting it out knowing that it could potentially cause a lot of upset and harm,” Cllr Ahmed added.

“I am passing this to the police straight away and will encourage anyone who receives one to do the same.

“I don’t really want people to be a concerned with these and the best advice I can give is for them to pass the letters if they get them to the police and then ignore them.”

The letter bears an image similar to the royal coat of arms. There is also an image of a dagger with the letters MS, suggesting it is linked to so-called Muslim Slayer who targeted mosques in London and the United States last year with similar threats.

A spokesman for West Yorkshire Police said: “Police are investigating a number of reports of potentially malicious communications sent to individuals in the Bradford area. Officers are currently investigating the full circumstances. Anyone with any concerns about a communication they may have received should contact police on 101.