Hoax bomb scare prompts East London Mosque evacuation hours after Finsbury Park terror attack

The huge East London Mosque was evacuated hours after the Finsbury Park terror attack when a telephone caller made a hoax bomb threat.

Photos circulated on social media of dozens of people outside the mosque, on the busy Whitechapel Road, just before 3pm BST on Monday (19 June).

The bomb threat came after one person was killed and up to ten others injured when a white van mounted the pavement outside the Finsbury Park Mosque, in north London.

Mosque leaders and London's Metropolitan Police (MET) evacuated the East London Mosque and its adjoining buildings.

A tweet by the mosque said: "The Mosque received a telephone threat a short while ago. Buildings were evacuated and sweeps carried out by Police and Mosque staff.

"While we understand this incident to be a hoax, we still urge vigilance in our community."

The MET confirmed they were called to the East London Mosque and this was in response to a hoax bomb threat.

One Twitter user, Tallha Abdulrazaq, said: "Bomb scare at East London Mosque which had to be evacuated. After #FinsburyPark, is this the new face of Islamophobic terrorism?"

The mosque is one of the largest in Europe and serves the largely south Asian community that live in London's East End.

The mosque has been petitioned on numerous occasions by the far-right Britain's First group, as recently as last week whilst worshipers were collecting for the victims of the Grenfell Tower fire.

In the wake of the Finsbury Park Mosque terror attack, the East London Mosque released a statement saying: "Our thoughts and prayers are with the victims and their families.

"We condemn this cowardly attack, as we do all terror attacks, in the strongest terms possible. This is a heinous crime motivated by hatred of Muslims. This is the 3rd terrorist attack on London in 3 months. Once again terrorists seek to divide. They will not succeed.

"We praise the community for their swift response in helping the police to arrest one of the men who deliberately ploughed into worshippers who were leaving the Mosque."

Police have arrested 47-year-old Darren Osborne from Cardiff in connection to the Finsbury Park Mosque. He is currently being held on terror charges.