A man driving a white van ploughed into pedestrians, coming out of a mosque, just after midnight on Monday.
- A van ploughed into pedestrians near Finsbury Park Mosque in North London.
- One man has been killed and 10 people have been injured. Police said they were investigating whether the dead man was killed in the incident or by a prior illness.
- Police are treating this as a terrorist attack.
- A white 47-year-old man is being held for terrorism offences but police have not named him.
- Prime Minister Theresa May condemned the attack as "every bit as sickening" as previous terrorist atrocities.
- Attacker not known to security services.
- A vigil will take place at the Finsbury Park mosque at 8 p.m. BST (3 p.m. EST) this evening.
LONDON — Police say that an incident that took place early Monday morning in which the driver of a hired van ploughed into pedestrians near the Finsbury Park Mosque in North London is being treated as a "terrorist attack."
Prime Minister Theresa May chaired an emergency meeting later on Monday and said:
"It was an attack that targeted the ordinary and the innocent."
"Today we come together as we have done before to condemn this act and state an act of hatred of this kind will never succeed in dividing us. Like all terrorism, in whatever form, it shares the same goal: to drive us apart. We will not let this happen."
A man driving a white van mounted a pavement and hit a group of worshippers exiting the mosque just after midnight. The attack has killed one man and injured 10 others. A 47-year-old man has been arrested. The police confirmed at 6:53 a.m. BST (1:53 a.m. ET) that they were not looking for anyone else in connection with the attack.
Security Minister Ben Wallace said the arrested suspect was not known to security services. He told Sky News: "This man was not known to the authorities in the space of extremism or far right extremism and he clearly took advantage of a simple weapon, a vehicle, to make an attack on people going about their business."
The Muslim Council of Britain said a van intentionally ran over worshippers as many of the victims are believed to have just left evening prayers at the Muslim Welfare House after breaking the Ramadan fast.
The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, said in a statement:
"My thoughts and prayers are with everyone affected. I am grateful to our emergency services, who responded quickly and have been working on the scene throughout the night.
"I have been in contact with the Met Commissioner and senior officers and am being kept updated on all developments. I have also spoken with community organisations in the area, local MP Jeremy Corbyn and leader of the council Richard Watts.
"We don't yet know the full details, but this was clearly a deliberate attack on innocent Londoners, many of whom were finishing prayers during the holy month of Ramadan.
"While this appears to be an attack on a particular community, like the terrible attacks in Manchester, Westminster and London Bridge it is also an assault on all our shared values of tolerance, freedom and respect.
"The situation is still unfolding and I urge all Londoners to remain calm and vigilant. Please report anything suspicious to the police, but only call 999 in an emergency.
"The Met have deployed extra police to reassure communities, especially those observing Ramadan. For further updates or information please follow the Metropolitan Police on Twitter."
Khan later visited the scene in North London and gave a statement urging government not to cut spending on the Met Police Service:
Khan’s warning about police cuts follows similar pleas from Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn and both high-ranking and former high-ranking police officers in the final weeks of the election campaign.
How the attack unfolded
Just after midnight on Monday, a van went through a bus lane, mounted a pavement and hit a number of people leaving one of London's biggest mosques, in Finsbury Park, north London. Below, a police forensics officer examines the van believed to be involved in an incident:
The van-hire company released a statement, after the van the suspect used was clearly from the Pontyclun Van Hire group, according to all the pictures:
"We at Pontyclun Van Hire are shocked and saddened by the incident that took place at Finsbury Park last night.
"We are cooperating fully with the Metropolitan police and our thoughts are with those who have been injured in this cowardly attack.
"We will not be making any further statement because of the ongoing police investigation but will continue to assist the police in any way we can."
Here is a map of where the attack took place:
The worshippers were breaking Ramadan fast and had just finished their prayers in the mosque. A 48-year-old man was arrested at the scene, and, according to an eyewitness called Khalid Amin that spoke to BBC, the attacker said: " target="_blank"I want to kill all Muslims."
The attacker's name has not yet been released. A video has circulated of the arrest, where the police load the man in the van while crowds shout:
Sky News reported that the Imam, the leader of the mosque, came out to protect the attacker when the crowd tried to hit him, according to eyewitnesses.
Toufik Kacimi, the CEO of the Muslim Welfare Council, called for "calm" and said that the police and Jeremy Corbyn, who is the MP for the constituency, has been very helpful. He said the "guy did what he did deliberately and this is not a mental health issue," to Sky News. He said an eyewitness told him that the attacker said "I did my bit" after he rammed a van into people on a pavement. He added that this confirms it was a deliberate attack.
After the attack, men prayed on the pavement near the mosque in Finsbury Park:
Theresa May condemns 'sickening' attack, praises 'brave' worshippers who detained attacker
On Monday morning, Prime Minister Theresa May gave a televised speech decrying the terrorist attack.
Speaking at Number 10 Downing Street, May said no act of terror will succeed dividing the nation, no matter how hateful or evil:
"It was an attack that targeted the ordinary and the innocent," the prime minister said.
"Today we come together as we have done before to condemn this act and state an act of hatred of this kind will never succeed in dividing us.
"Like all terrorism, in whatever form, it shares the same goal: to drive us apart. We will not let this happen."
She added that extra police forces have already been deployed on the streets of London.
Read more on May's speech here.
Jeremy Corbyn, leader of the Labour Party and the MP for the constituency where the mosque is, said in an emailed statement:
"I am shocked by this horrific and cruel attack in Finsbury Park, which is being treated as an act of terror. I offer my condolences to the family and friends of the man who has died, and our thoughts are with the people who have been injured, their family and friends.
"As the local MP, I have met with Muslim community leaders at the Muslim Welfare House alongside Islington Council Leader Richard Watts, the council's Chief Executive Lesley Seary and the Metropolitan Police.
"Richard and I will attend prayers at Finsbury Park mosque later today. I appeal for people and the media to remain calm and respectful of those affected.
"In the meantime, I call on everyone to stand together against those who seek to divide us."
Britain's Home Secretary Amber Rudd said:
"My thoughts are with all those affected by the appalling incident at Finsbury Park. I am in contact with the Metropolitan Police who have confirmed it is being investigated by their Counter Terrorism Command.
"Yesterday, like so many others around the country, I took part in the Great Get Together to celebrate the values of Jo Cox. It was powerful and moving to see the community come together in a show of solidarity. We must all continue to stand together, resolute, against all those who try to divide us and spread hate and fear."
Police clarify misinformation that spread after the attack
After the van hit the crowd in Finsbury Park, there was a number of claims being reported by the media, citing eyewitness reports:
- There was more than one attacker.
- There were knives involved.
- The emergency services took around an hour to arrive.
For example, this eyewitness was telling Sky News and others that emergency services took nearly an hour to get to the incident and victims and questioned why the emergency response was slow compared to the London Bridge attacks:
One visibly shocked Muslim man in his mid-30s, who declined to be named, told Business Insider's senior reporter Rob Price that he was angry with police, because they allegedly took over 30 minutes to arrive.
All these were confirmed as false, by the police.
Deputy Assistance commissioner Neil Basu said:
- There was just one suspect of the attack, who has been arrested, and they are not searching for any other suspects. "There was no one else in the van," said Basu.
- The 48-year-old man arrested, was arrested on suspicion of murder.
- There were no knives involved.
- The emergency services were at the scene within 10 minutes.
Basu also said that it is too early to tell whether the man who died at the scene was killed in the attack. Apparently the man who was receiving first aid at the time, was ill prior to the incident.
The aftermath
The Faiths Forum for London has organised a vigil at the Finsbury Park mosque Monday evening, "In solidarity with everyone affected and standing united in peace":
Earlier, crowds of people gathered in Finsbury Park seeking questions about what happened to their local community:
Others also started paying their respects by laying flowers outside the mosque:
Alex Spurgeon, a Finsbury Park resident, and a friend told Business Insider's senior report Rob Price at the scene:
"I heard a helicopter very low overhead and a lot of sirens, but didn't think anything of it as it's very busy road.
"The next morning the police were outside my front door blocking access to seven sisters road.
"I was at the Muslim Welfare House for the Great Get Together on Saturday, it's awful something like this could happen so soon after such a positive community meeting."
The central area of Finsbury Park is still filled with crowds, reports BI's Rob Price. He said that a private funeral director's van arrived at 9 a.m. BST on Monday towards the scene:
Finsbury Park is also a key transportation hub for the tube, buses and trains. Transport for London left the following sign outside the tube station:
The Muslim Association of Britain said in a statement:
"We call on politicians to treat this major incident no less than a terrorist attack. We call on the government to do more to tackle this hateful evil ideology which has spread over these past years and resulted in an increase of Islamophobic attacks and division of our society, as well as spreading of hate."
The association’s president, Dr Omer El-Hamdoon, added: "Our thoughts and prayers are with the victims of this evil attack. I call on all Muslims to be extra vigilant following these hateful Islamophobic attacks, and to be cautious."
David Curtis, 57, a practicing Jew, lives in Finchley, North London heard about the attack on the news this morning and came after synagogue. He told BI's Price: "It just feels it's exactly what the terrorists have been trying to achieve ... They seek to divide communities."
He quoted Jo Cox, the MP that was murdered last year, who said "there's more that unites us than divides us." He said "we should hold onto that."
A number of others have gathered to give support to the community and to promote peace:
This is a developing story ...
A man driving a white van ploughed into pedestrians, coming out of a mosque, just after midnight on Monday. Read Full Story
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