At least 2 people were killed and eight others wounded on Monday after a van mowed down worshippers leaving a mosque in London’s Finsbury Park. One person has been arrested so far after the incident at Seven Sisters Road. The driver, 48, of the van was first detained by the members of the public, then arrested by the police. After describing it as a “major incident”, the police are currently investigating if it was an act of terror. British Prime Minister Theresa May has informed that the incident is being treated as a potential terrorist attack by the police. She is also going to chair an emergency response meeting later in the morning.
After commending the emergency services, London Mayor Sadiq Khan said, “I have been in contact with the Met Commissioner and senior officers and am being kept updated on all developments. I have also spoken with community organisations in the area, local MP Jeremy Corbyn and leader of the council Richard Watts.”
Reacting to the incident, the Muslim Council of Britain (MCB), UK’ largest umbrella body, said on Twitter: “We have been informed that a van has run over worshippers as they left FinsburyPark Mosque. Our prayers are with the victims.”
The Metropolitan Police were called in just after 12:20 am (Local time) to the accident site on Seven Sisters Road, where van rammed into pedestrians. Many of the victims were leaving late night prayers after breaking their Ramadan fast.
One eyewitness, as cited by BBC, said, “There was this white van stopped outside Finsbury Park Mosque that seems to have hit people who were coming out of the mosque after prayers finished.”
The witnesses described the van swerving towards people, reported Guardian describing the nature of the collision.
London Ambulance Service tweeted: “We have sent a number of ambulance crews, advance paramedics and specialist responses teams to the scene.”