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2017 Finsbury Park van attack
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2017 Finsbury Park van attack
On 19 June 2017, an Islamophobic terrorist attack occurred in Finsbury Park, London, England, when a van was intentionally driven into a crowd of Muslim pedestrians near the Muslim Welfare House, 100 yards (90 m) from the Finsbury Park Mosque, resulting in the death of a man and 11 injuries. The attack was found to be motivated by Islamophobia.
A man who had earlier collapsed and was receiving first aid died at the scene. The incident was investigated by counter-terrorism police as a terrorist attack. On 23 June, the perpetrator, a 47-year-old man from Cardiff, Wales named Darren Osborne, was charged with terrorism-related murder and attempted murder. In February 2018 at Woolwich Crown Court, he was found guilty on both counts and was sentenced to life imprisonment with a minimum term of 43 years.
Three attacks, described by the Prime Minister, Theresa May as "...bound together by the single, evil ideology of Islamist extremism", had occurred in the UK since March 2017: at Westminster on 22 March, in Manchester on 22 May, and at London Bridge on 3 June. Following these, there were increased reports of revenge attacks against Muslims, and mosques had been targeted as a response to recent Islamist attacks.
The Finsbury Park Mosque has previously attracted negative media attention. The radical cleric Abu Hamza al-Masri, who was convicted for terrorism-related charges in both the UK and the United States, served as its imam from 1997 to 2003. The mosque was shut down in 2003. In 2005, it re-opened under a new management team. Since then, it has actively promoted better interfaith community relations. In December 2015, a man holding a can of petrol attempted to ignite it and throw it into the building.
On 19 June 2017, at approximately 00:15 BST (UTC+1), a hired van rammed several pedestrians at the junction of Whadcoat Street and Seven Sisters Road, near the Muslim Welfare House, 100 yards (90 m) from Finsbury Park Mosque in London.
A group of Muslims had earlier performed tarawih, night time prayers held in the month of Ramadan, when they came across a collapsed man at a bus stop. While rendering first aid they were rammed, and ten were injured. The collapsed man, Makram Ali, died at the scene, and post-mortem findings indicated that he died of multiple injuries. Eleven people were injured.
Witnesses said the driver was beaten until the imam of the mosque, Mohammed Mahmoud, calmed down the crowd, prevented them from assaulting the perpetrator, and appealed for the driver to be handed over to police. Those beating him were held back by the imam and a few other men, and the attacker was pinned down at the scene until police arrived. Witnesses quoted the driver as saying "I want to kill all Muslims", "this is for London Bridge", "I did my bit", "you deserve it" and "kill me". The imam was described by the mosque's chief executive as "the hero of the day", and praised by Mayor of London Sadiq Khan.
Officers were called at 00:20 BST, the Metropolitan Police said, describing it as a major incident. London Ambulance Service said eight people were taken to local hospitals and two others were treated at the scene. The suspect was taken into custody shortly after the incident.
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2017 Finsbury Park van attack
On 19 June 2017, an Islamophobic terrorist attack occurred in Finsbury Park, London, England, when a van was intentionally driven into a crowd of Muslim pedestrians near the Muslim Welfare House, 100 yards (90 m) from the Finsbury Park Mosque, resulting in the death of a man and 11 injuries. The attack was found to be motivated by Islamophobia.
A man who had earlier collapsed and was receiving first aid died at the scene. The incident was investigated by counter-terrorism police as a terrorist attack. On 23 June, the perpetrator, a 47-year-old man from Cardiff, Wales named Darren Osborne, was charged with terrorism-related murder and attempted murder. In February 2018 at Woolwich Crown Court, he was found guilty on both counts and was sentenced to life imprisonment with a minimum term of 43 years.
Three attacks, described by the Prime Minister, Theresa May as "...bound together by the single, evil ideology of Islamist extremism", had occurred in the UK since March 2017: at Westminster on 22 March, in Manchester on 22 May, and at London Bridge on 3 June. Following these, there were increased reports of revenge attacks against Muslims, and mosques had been targeted as a response to recent Islamist attacks.
The Finsbury Park Mosque has previously attracted negative media attention. The radical cleric Abu Hamza al-Masri, who was convicted for terrorism-related charges in both the UK and the United States, served as its imam from 1997 to 2003. The mosque was shut down in 2003. In 2005, it re-opened under a new management team. Since then, it has actively promoted better interfaith community relations. In December 2015, a man holding a can of petrol attempted to ignite it and throw it into the building.
On 19 June 2017, at approximately 00:15 BST (UTC+1), a hired van rammed several pedestrians at the junction of Whadcoat Street and Seven Sisters Road, near the Muslim Welfare House, 100 yards (90 m) from Finsbury Park Mosque in London.
A group of Muslims had earlier performed tarawih, night time prayers held in the month of Ramadan, when they came across a collapsed man at a bus stop. While rendering first aid they were rammed, and ten were injured. The collapsed man, Makram Ali, died at the scene, and post-mortem findings indicated that he died of multiple injuries. Eleven people were injured.
Witnesses said the driver was beaten until the imam of the mosque, Mohammed Mahmoud, calmed down the crowd, prevented them from assaulting the perpetrator, and appealed for the driver to be handed over to police. Those beating him were held back by the imam and a few other men, and the attacker was pinned down at the scene until police arrived. Witnesses quoted the driver as saying "I want to kill all Muslims", "this is for London Bridge", "I did my bit", "you deserve it" and "kill me". The imam was described by the mosque's chief executive as "the hero of the day", and praised by Mayor of London Sadiq Khan.
Officers were called at 00:20 BST, the Metropolitan Police said, describing it as a major incident. London Ambulance Service said eight people were taken to local hospitals and two others were treated at the scene. The suspect was taken into custody shortly after the incident.