Finsbury Park attack: One person dead in 'potential terrorist incident' in North London

One person died after a white van ploughed into pedestrians on Seven Sisters Road near a mosque at London's Finsbury Park in the early hours of Monday (19 June), the Metropolitan Police have said. Eight injured victims were taken to three separate hospitals, while two people were treated at the scene for minor injuries, police added.

The suspected attacker, a 48-year-old man, was detained by "members of the public" at the North London attack site. "He has been taken to hospital as a precaution, and will be taken into custody once discharged," a statement from the police said.

Police said their investigation so far showed no other suspects' involvement in the attack. "At this early stage of this investigation, no other suspects at the scene have been identified or reported to police, however the investigation continues."

The attack happened at around midnight BST when people who visited the Finsbury Park mosque to offer their evening prayers were returning home. The white van drove into pedestrians and video footage circulated online showed commotion outside the mosque following the attack.

The Counter Terrorism Command is conducting an investigation into the incident, which is being treated as a "potential terrorist attack", police said.

The attack area has been cordoned off and Met Police said they have deployed "extra policing resources" in order to reassure communities, especially those observing Ramadan.

Prime Minister Theresa May will convene a meeting later in the morning on the attack. "All my thoughts are with the victims, their families and the emergency services on the scene," she said in a statement.

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Condemning the attack, the Muslim Council of Britain said the white van intentionally ran over worshippers. They said it was a "violent manifestation of Islamophobia" and called for extra security around mosques.

Muslim Welfare House on Seven Sisters Road, where the attack took place, however, has urged people to remain calm.

"We have worked very hard over decades to build a peaceful and tolerant community here in Finsbury Park and we totally condemn any act of hate that tries to drive our wonderful community apart," the group said in a statement.

They reportedly also thanked an imam, Mohammed Mahmoud, saying that his "bravery and courage helped calm the immediate situation after the incident and prevented further injury and loss of life". The imam, according to some witnesses, had protected the suspected attacker from the angry crowd outside the mosque.

In videos shared online, some eyewitnesses said that the suspect was a white man, who was even waving at the crowd as the police were taking him away. He was reportedly shouting, "I want to kill all Muslims" while being held down by people at the scene.

Meanwhile, the New York Police Department have reportedly ordered more security outside New Yor City mosques in the wake of the Finsbury Park mosque attack.

The attack is a repeat of a recent terror incident when three radicalised men mowed down several people on London Bridge with a white van and later stabbed others in the nearby Borough Market area on 3 June. Eight people were confirmed dead in the incident and nearly 50 others were injured.