One person has been killed and eight injured in an attack being treated as terror-related after a van ploughed into Muslim worshippers leaving a mosque after late-night Ramadan prayers.
Police rushed to Finsbury Park in London shortly after midnight to arrest a 48-year-old man who’d been pinned down by heroic members of the public.
Scotland Yard confirmed one man dead at the scene while eight others are being treated in separate hospitals. Two more have minor injuries.
Prime Minister Theresa May has said the incident is being treated ‘as a potential terrorist attack’ and would chair a Cobra meeting this morning.
Finsbury Park Mosque chairman Mohammed Kozbar described it as a ‘terror attack’ and told The Sun:
Whoever did this, he did it to hurt people and it’s a terrorist attack.
We call it a terrorist attack as we called it in Manchester, Westminster and London Bridge.
The van drove over people who were leaving late prayers. They were gathering in Seven Sisters Road.
Two witnesses claim the man got out of the hired van screaming he wanted to ‘kill all Muslims’ while another told Press Association:
The gentleman went straight down this road, people were just conversing, talking, just doing what we’re doing.
And he just came into all of us. There was a lot of people.
I was shocked, shocked, shocked. There were bodies around me.
Thank God I just moved to the side, I just jumped. Everyone is hurt. Everyone is actually hurt.
Another witness said the man was gloating and laughing as he was arrested by police.
Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn lives only yards from the scene and said he was totally shocked by what had happened.
The Met Police have urged anyone with information about the attack to come forward while extra police have been put on the streets.
Taking the idea of ‘being woke’ to a whole new level over a decade-long career in sport, court and online news, George has worked for titles and agencies including ESPN FC, Eurosport, LADbible and Court News UK. He may not have a degree but does have an unhealthy obsession with Lord of the Rings.