Hollywood star Morgan Freeman has shocked Londoners on Tuesday by attending a Shiite religious ceremony in the British capital.

Photos taken of film star Freeman emerged on Twitter while he was sitting cross-legged on the floor of the ceremony hall of Shiite Muslims.

The ceremony was held by the London-based Al-Khoei Foundation to mark Ashura Day, the holy day of Shiite Muslims.

Freeman attended the ceremony as part of his documentary series "The story of God with Morgan Freeman" which premiered last April and claims to explore different cultures and religions to uncover the meaning of life.

Yousif Al-Khoei, the executive director of Al-Khoei Foundation, released the photos of the Hollywood star on his Twitter account.

Ashura is the 10th day of Muharrem, the first month of the Islamic calendar, which is widely celebrated in Muslim countries with consecutive events.

The word "ashura" means "10," referring to the date of the day. For Shiite Muslims, the Ashura Day is a major occasion, commemorating the martyrdom of Prophet Muhammadtarget="_blank"'>