Thousands of people packed out a mosque and mourners spilled into the street as they paid their respects at the funeral of a pensioner who was stabbed in the back just yards from his home.

Mohammed Saleem, 75, was attacked as he made his way home from prayers at his local mosque over two months ago.

Mr Saleem, who used a walking stick and was a grandfather of 23, was stabbed in the back in Little Green Lane in Small Heath, Birmingham, shortly before 10.30pm on Monday April 29.

At his funeral at Green Lane Mosque in Birmingham, people gathered in the road outside the mosque because the building, which holds around 5,000 people, was full to capacity and organisers tried to find room inside to accommodate the vast numbers of well-wishers.

Roads were closed and there was a noticeable police presence in the area, which one officer said was to provide support because of the numbers of people attending the funeral, but also to reassure worshippers in the wake of the recent spate of attacks on mosques.

A counter-terrorism investigation was continuing today after an explosion near a mosque in Tipton.

The incident, which happened yesterday afternoon, came on the same day murdered soldier Lee Rigby was remembered at a private funeral service in Bury, Greater Manchester, and just weeks after an explosion near a mosque in the Caldmore area of Walsall on June 21.

At Mr Saleem's funeral, which lasted around 45 minutes, male mourners packed into the courtyard of the mosque around the casket.

One worshipper, Mohammed Ikhlaq, said he had attended the funeral to pay his respects to his close friend, to support prayer, and to demonstrate that Islam was a religion of peace.

"We're against violence," he said.

"And this is a way to demonstrate that we're a peaceful people and to show that in a peaceful way."

Mr Saleem was greatly loved in the community, Mr Ikhlaq said, and would be sorely missed.

"He was a very, very charming person," he said.

"He was a very loveable person and he was always happy, always smiling.

"I never saw him angry at any time in all the years I knew him."

Mr Saleem's daughter Fazia, 43, said being able to hold the funeral after more than two months, which was delayed because two post-mortem examinations needed to be carried out, offered the family a chance to begin grieving.

Her father had 23 grandchildren. Ms Saleem had a baby girl five weeks ago and said she was devastated he would never meet the new arrival.

She added: "For the grandkids they can't comprehend that their grandfather is not here because they haven't seen him, so all that they've heard is that he's died.

"He was very much a family man and he loved his family deeply.

"The whole community was devastated by his death, he knew loads of people in the community.

"The amount of messages and support we've had from all walks of life and all faiths is amazing."

So far nobody has been charged with Mr Saleem's killing and Ms Saleem said the family were desperate to find his killer.

A Facebook page called Justice for Muhammed Saleem has been set up in the wake of his death and so far more than 12,000 people have "liked" the page.

After the service Mr Saleem was taken to Handsworth cemetery for burial.