LEWISTON — A 46-year-old local man was arrested Friday afternoon after reportedly pulling a knife during an altercation on Bartlett Street, near the Masjidu Salaam mosque.

Muktar Abdillahi, 49, of Rideout Avenue, was charged with criminal threatening with a dangerous weapon in the aftermath of the dispute.

The charge came after a confrontation involving several people in front of the mosque at about 2 p.m. Early reports were that a person walking a dog along the sidewalk was confronted by several attendees of the mosque.

After words were exchanged, witnesses said one man displayed a knife and made threatening gestures before getting into a car. That man was identified as Abdillahi, who was taken into custody shortly after police arrived on the scene.

“Officers detained Abdillahi and observed a knife on the center console of the vehicle he had entered,” police wrote in a press release. “Police also obtained surveillance video from the area, which corroborated the officers’ observations.”

The confrontation occurred in an area that has been vexed by violence and ongoing disputes between mosque attendees and a business across the street. During the clash, dozens of people filed into the street.

Two people were taken into custody. Reports were that a second man had been charged with disorderly conduct, although police did not provide details about that charge late Friday night.

Lewiston Mayor Carl Sheline said he had followed developments in the situation as the police investigation progressed.

“We cannot solve our disagreements with weapons and threats,” Sheline said. “De-escalation and dialogue is what’s needed most at this time. We should strive to be the best version of ourselves and seek to understand each other. We are better than this.”

But at the same time, Sheline also defended the people who attend the mosque.

“The constant harassment of our Bartlett Street mosque needs to stop,” he said. “Our Muslim community has every right to worship freely.”