Eyewitnesses say driver in van attack shouted he wanted to “kill all Muslims”
A MAN has died and ten more people have been injured after a suspected terrorist attack against the Muslim community in the Finsbury Park area of North London.
A van mounted the pavement outside a Mosque in the area after midnight (19 June) as worshipers were leaving the area after breaking their Ramadan fast. It drove into a crowd of worshippers helping an elderly man who had taken ill.
Home secretary Amber Rudd has revealed that Police are investigating the attack as a “terrorist incident”.
A statement from the Muslim Council of Britain said: “Many will feel terrorised, no doubt be angry and saddened by what has taken place.
“We urge calm as the investigation establishes the full facts, and in these last days of Ramadan, pray for those affected and for justice.
“My prayers are with the victims and their families.”
Little is known about the attacker, except that he is a 48 year-old white male. Some eyewitnesses have said he was shouting that he wanted to “kill all Muslims” as he was pinned down by members of the community.
He was subsequently arrested by police and taken to hospital as a precaution.
Under the spotlight: Britain’s big problem with homegrown nazi terrorists
The attack is the third such terrorist incident in recent weeks.
An attack at Manchester arena on 22 May killed 23 and injured 119.
A van attack on London Bridge on 3 June killed eight and wounded 48.
Though some recent terror attacks have been inspired by the ideology of groups like Daesh (so called Islamic State), others have been motivated by neo-nazi and white nationalist ideas – such as the murder of former Labour MP Jo Cox in June 2016.
The US has also seen a spike in attacks by white nationalists in the wake of the election of President Donald Trump.
Arrests of far right activists doubled in the UK last year amid concerns from hightened threats from neo-nazi groups and individuals.
Picture courtesy of Paul de Gregorio
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