One dead and 10 injured after lone attacker ploughs into crowd of Muslims

Crime reporter(wp/es):

One man died and ten others were injured after a van driver screaming “I want to kill all Muslims” ploughed into worshippers in a terror attack near to Finsbury Park mosque.

Witnesses told how the suspect shouted “kill me, kill me” and blew kisses from the back of a police van after he was pinned to the ground and arrested following the attack in the early hours of Monday.

The 48-year-old suspect was tackled to the floor and detained by onlookers after the vehicle veered into a crowd of worshippers who had just finished prayers at the mosque in Seven Sisters Road.

Metropolitan Police Deputy Assistant Commissioner Neil Basu confirmed the attack on worshippers was being treated as terrorism. Theresa May said that an early assessment by police suggested the attacker "acted alone".

In an statement outside Scotland Yard on Monday morning, Mr Basu said the attack unfolded as a man was receiving first aid from the public and that he died at the scene.

Eight other people were taken to hospital, at least two of them with “very serious injuries”, Mr Basu said.

He said: "The attack unfolded whilst a man was receiving first aid from the public at the scene; sadly, he has died.

"Any causative link between his death and the attack will form part of our investigation.

"It is too early to state if his death was as a result of the attack."

Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn was visibly distraught at he visited the scene of the terror attack in his own constituency.

The attacker struck at 12.15am as the area was busy with worshippers attending Ramadan night prayers at the mosque.

Video footage showed the suspect being pinned to the ground by brave members of the public before he was arrested by police.

Witnesses said the suspect was protected by an imam after some of the bystanders began beating him on the ground.

Mr Basu said the inside of the van has been investigated and that nothing was found that posed a further risk to public safety. Officers believe the attacker acted alone.

He added that no-one suffered stab injuries during the attack amid early reports a knifeman was spotted in the van.

Witness Sami Ali told the WT: “There was an elderly woman and a guy trapped under the car, everyone was just trying to help them.

"They grabbed the man and held him on the ground - he was shouting 'kill me kill me' but they just held him down.”

Another man, who did not wish to be named, was leaving the mosque when he saw the attack happen.

He said: "I heard screaming and shouting. There was a lot of bodies on the ground, I saw a lot of people being flattened.”

A witness, who wanted to be identified as Abdulrahman, which is not his real name, said he managed to get the driver of the van.

"He wanted to run away and was saying: 'I want to kill Muslims.'

"So he came back to the main road and I managed to get him to the ground and me and some other guys managed to hold him until the police arrived, for about 20 minutes I think, until the police arrived."

Abdulrahman claimed the driver said: 'Kill me', as he was being held.

Mr Basu praised the “restraint” of the “incredibly shaken, incredibly scared and incredibly angry” members of the public who tackled the man.

He added: “It seems to me at the time he was very quickly and calmly given over to the police and put into custody.

“As I’ve said I think that restraint was commendable by members of the community who must have been incredibly shaken, incredibly scared and incredibly angry.

“I’d like to thank them, what it proves to me is that Londoners will act together to protect themselves, but they will do so in a way that doesn’t feed into terrorists and extremists hands.”

The attack is the second terrorist incident to hit the capital’s streets in just over two weeks, with eight people killed in the London Bridge atrocity on June 3.

London Mayor Sadiq Khan told Sky News: "All of these are attacks on out shared values of freedom, of tolerance and of respect. Terrorism is terrorism, whether someone is inspired by an Islamist narrative or other forms of 'inspiration'.

"We're a great city, we can't allow these terrorists who fuel division to change our lives."

Prime Minister Theresa May has announced she will hold a Cobra committee emergency meeting later on Monday.

Mr Basu added: “This has been an incredibly challenging time for London and the emergency services are stretched, Nevertheless we will all do absolutely everything we can with our partners to protect Londoners and our city.

“Now is the time once again for Londoners to stand together to face those who seek to divide us."

Other videos posted online of the aftermath of Monday's attack showed a scene of chaos as people tried to help the injured.

One man could been seen giving CPR to a victim in the street, while another man's head injury was treated with a makeshift dressing.

The Muslim Council of Britain has condemned the incident as 'the most violent manifestation' yet of Islamophobia.

Extra security is being stationed at mosques across the capital.