A van attack kills one outside London mosque
A van ploughed into worshippers leaving a mosque in north London on Monday, killing at least one person and injuring several in what Britain’s largest Muslim organization said was an act of Islamophobia, Euronews reported.
The vehicle hit people as they were leaving the Finsbury Park Mosque, one of the biggest in the country, the Muslim Council of Britain said. The attack comes during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, when people attend prayers at night, the TV network added.
British Prime Minister Theresa May said police had confirmed it was being treated as a potential terrorist attack and said she would chair an emergency response meeting later on Monday.
“All my thoughts are with the victims, their families and the emergency services on the scene,” she said.
Police said one man was pronounced dead at the scene and that the van driver, 48, had been detained by members of the public before being arrested. The driver would undergo a mental health assessment in due course, police said.
The London Ambulance Service said it had taken eight people to hospital, while two were treated at the scene.
The incident comes just over two weeks after three Islamist militants drove into pedestrians on London Bridge and stabbed people at nearby restaurants and bars, killing eight people. The Muslim Council said Monday’s attack was the most violent manifestation of Islamophobia in Britain in recent months and called for extra security at places of worship.