LONDON, Reuters, Jun 19, 2017 – A van plowed into worshippers near a London mosque on Monday, injuring 10 people in what Prime Minister Theresa May said was a sickening, terrorist attack on Muslims.
Armed police officers attend to the scene after a vehicle collided with pedestrians near a mosque in the Finsbury Park neighborhood of North London, Britain June 19, 2017.
Shortly after midnight, the vehicle swerved into a group of people leaving prayers at the Muslim Welfare House and the nearby Finsbury Park Mosque in north London, one of the biggest in the country.
A general view of the Finsbury Park mosque in North London, Britain June 19, 2017
The driver, a 48-year-old white man, was grabbed at the scene by locals and pinned down until police arrived.
“This morning, our country woke to news of another terrorist attack on the streets of our capital city: the second this month and every bit as sickening as those which have come before,” May told reporters outside her Downing Street office.
“This was an attack on Muslims near their place of worship,” said May who later visited the mosque.
Emergency crews attend to the scene after a vehicle collided with pedestrians near a mosque in the Finsbury Park neighborhood of North London, Britain June 19, 2017.
Forensic investigators stand behind cordon tape at the scene of an attack where a man drove a van at muslim worshippers outside a mosque in Finsbury Park in North London, Britain, June 19, 2017.
A police forensic officer examines the scene close to where a vehicle collided with pedestrians in the Finsbury Park neighbourhood of North London, Britain June 19, 2017
The attack is the fourth since March in Britain and the third to involve a vehicle deliberately driven at pedestrians.
It also comes at a tumultuous time for the government with Britain starting complex divorce talks with the European Union and May negotiating with a small Northern Irish party to stay in power after losing her parliamentary majority following a snap election.
A woman leaves flowers near the scene of an attack where a van was driven at muslims outside a mosque in Finsbury Park in North London, Britain, June 19, 2017.
A woman leaves flowers near the scene of an attack where a van was driven at muslims outside a mosque in Finsbury Park in North London, Britain, June 19, 2017.
DRIVER DETAINED
The mosques’ worshippers, who come mainly from North and West Africa, had just left special prayers during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan. Abdulrahman Aidroos said he and his friends had been tending an old man who had suffered a heart attack when the van was driven at them.
A police forensic officer examines the scene close to where a vehicle collided with pedestrians in the Finsbury Park neighbourhood of North London, Britain June 19, 2017
Police officers attend to the scene after a vehicle collided with pedestrians near a mosque in the Finsbury Park neighborhood of North London, Britain June 19, 2017.
“He was saying ‘I wanna kill more people, I wanna kill more Muslims’,” Aidroos told BBC TV. He said he had helped tackle and detain the driver while other witnesses said the imam had stepped in to ensure the man was not harmed.
Britain’s Prime Minister Theresa May arrives at the Finsbury Park Mosque after a van was driven at muslims outside the mosque in North London, Britain, June 19, 2017.
“Their restraint in the circumstances was commendable,” said Neil Basu, senior national co-ordinator for counter-terrorism policing. The man was arrested on suspicion of attempted murder and police said they believed he had acted alone.
“I would like to … thank our imam, Mohammed Mahmoud, whose bravery and courage helped calm the immediate situation after the incident and prevented further injuries and potential loss of life,” said Toufik Kacimi, the chief executive of the Muslim Welfare House.
Police said 10 people were injured, with eight taken to hospital, two in a very serious condition.
Police officers walk behind cordon tape at the scene of an attack where a man drove a van at muslim worshippers outside a mosque in Finsbury Park in North London, Britain, June 19, 2017.
The man who was being given first aid at the scene before the attack had died but it was not clear whether his death was directly linked.
Usain Ali, 28, said he heard a bang and ran for his life.
“When I looked back, I thought it was a car accident, but people were shouting, screaming and I realized this was a man choosing to terrorize people who are praying,” he told Reuters. “He chose exactly the time that people pray, and the mosque is too small and full, so some pray outside.”
