THE man accused of ploughing a car into a crowd of people outside a north London mosque has been identified as father-of-four Darren Osborne.

The 47-year-old Englishman has been held by police after the rampage and is being questioned on suspicion of murder and terrorism offences, according to the Metropolitan Police.

Officers have raided what is believed to be his home in Wales in the wake of the attack, which injured at least 10 people.

British Security Minister Ben Wallace said authorities were aware of rising far-right activity but were not aware of the suspect before the incident. He is believed to have acted alone.

Mr Osborne’s mother told the Daily Mail the attack was an “atrocity”.

“I’m not going to defend him but he is my son and it’s a shock. It’s not just robbing a bank, it’s an atrocity,” she said.

UK media reports that Mr Osborne grew up in Weston-super-mare in North Somerset, England, but now lived with his partner and four children in Cardiff, Wales.

The driver was seen smiling and blowing kisses as people lay bleeding around him after the white van ploughed into the crowd as people left evening prayers shortly after midnight on Sunday.

The crowd had been tending to a man who had collapsed on the street. The man later died but it is not clear whether it was as a result of the van attack.

The driver was pinned down by witnesses after the incident and he reportedly shouted that he wanted to “kill all Muslims”.

Metropolitan Police Commissioner Cressida Dick said the incident was “quite clearly an attack on Muslims”.

EXCLUSIVE: Finsbury Park terror suspect who 'ploughed into Muslims' identified as dad-of-fourhttps://t.co/C7QMDGEvAF pic.twitter.com/4er3MDHAGY — Daily Mirror (@DailyMirror) June 19, 2017

“We heard words that made people want to do bad things to him,” a local shopkeeper, who didn’t want to be named, told news.com.au, refusing to repeat what the driver had said.

“It made people realise he did this on purpose.

“The thing that got me was that he was so calm. Even when he killed the guy he was laughing, blowing kisses. That’s cold hearted.”

Video from the scene shows the driver waving and blowing kisses as he is packed into a police van. He will undergo a mental health assessment.

Eyewitness video from Finsbury Park terror attack Eyewitness video from Finsbury Park terror attack

‘HE WAS WAVING AND LAUGHING’

The vehicle mowed down about 10 people on the street outside the Muslim Welfare House and around the corner from Finsbury Park Mosque just after midnight on Sunday.

Witnesses told how the man timed his drive to coincide with the end of evening prayers and deliberately swerved into the crowd sending people flying. Two people were trapped under the van and it's feared one could be paralysed.

Hussein Ali told news.com.au the attacker “chose to get as much casualties as possible; he came exactly at the time to get as much people as he wanted”.

He ran for his life after hearing a loud bang but said others told him the man was “proud” and “waving his hand and laughing” after carrying out the attack.

There are conflicting reports as to whether the man fled from the van or was pulled, however he was captured by members of the Muslim community who held him there until police arrived. The local Imam is being hailed as a hero after urging restraint from the crowd.

Witnesses reported him saying he “wanted to kill all Muslims” and “I did my bit” after carrying out the attack. Video posted on social media shows the man being put into a police van and waving and blowing kisses to those outside.

Witness Ratip Al-Sulaimen, who was nearby in a coffee shop at the time, said he arrived to see complete chaos and the driver on the ground.

“The people caught him and they started hitting him and he said, ‘I’ve done my bit’,” he told news.com.au.

“We are one community, we don’t want people to divide us.”

Footage shows the moment crowds restrain man suspected of driving van into pedestrians near #FinsburyPark mosquehttps://t.co/CBG8mzBpgY pic.twitter.com/NtYoQbLGXC — BBC News (UK) (@BBCNews) June 19, 2017

my cousin sent me this and this is the guy that got arrested for this TERRORIST attack #FinsburyPark pic.twitter.com/VZkRIv1Sfz — samira (@hooyomataalo) June 19, 2017

‘COMMENDABLE RESTRAINT’

Police confirmed one man was pronounced dead at the scene and counter-terrorism officers are investigating. Eight people have been taken to three separate hospitals.

The suspect has been taken to hospital in handcuffs. He will be subject to a mental health assessment.

“London has woken up to the news of another appalling attack on our city,” Metropolitan Police Commissioner Cressida Dick said.

“London is a city of many faiths and many nationalities. An attack on one community is an attack on all of us.”

Deputy Assistant Commissioner Neil Basu, the senior national coordinator for counter-terrorism, said all the victims were from the Muslim community.

“I would like to thank those people who helped police in detaining the man and worked with officers to calmly and quickly get him into our custody.

“Their restraint in the circumstances was commendable.”

The attack follows a spate of terror incidents in the UK including at Borough Market where eight people died in early June. Twenty-two died in a suicide bombing at an Ariana Grande concert in Manchester in May and a police officer was killed in Westminster in March.

UK Prime Minister Theresa May said: “Today’s attack falls at a difficult time in the life of this city, following on from the attack on London Bridge two weeks ago — and of course the unimaginable tragedy of Grenfell Tower last week, on which I will chair another meeting of Ministers and officials later today.

“But what we have seen throughout — whether in the heroism of the ordinary citizens who fought off the attackers at London Bridge; the unbreakable resolve of the residents in Kensington; or this morning the spirit of the community that apprehended this attacker — is that this is an extraordinary city of extraordinary people.”

Video shows an angry crowd pinning down the apparent van driver after his vehicle ploughed into worshippers at a London mosque #FinsburyPark pic.twitter.com/BTT6JH3ddy — Sky News (@SkyNews) June 19, 2017

‘I’M GETTING SCARED’

The increasingly frequent attacks have left locals fearing for their safety.

Crouch End man Emmanual Begedi, 24, said two of his friends were injured and he first heard about it when he received a video from one on his phone.

“Every two weeks we’re seeing things like this. It’s snowballed,” he said.

“We love this country so why are things happening like this?

“We don’t know where it’s going to be next. It’s ridiculous, I’ll be honest, I’m getting scared.”

Hassen Hammouda, 20, is in London on holiday from Tunisia and said he couldn’t believe what was happening in front of him.

“The is the first time I’ve seen anything like this. Of course I’m scared, it’s crazy, man,” he said.

‘MAINSTREAM MEDIA’ SLAMMED

The attack happened in the London Borough of Islington, close to Finsbury Park station, a major underground and suburban rail interchange in the capital’s north. Arsenal football stadium is nearby.

Some witnesses and locals outside the police cordon told media they were unhappy about the response from police and media, which did not immediately declare it a terrorist incident.

The chairman of the Finsbury Park Mosque, Mohammed Kozbar, has complained that the “mainstream media” was unwilling to call the attack a terrorist incident for many hours.

British Home Secretary Amber Rudd says police “immediately” treated a fatal incident outside a London mosque as a suspected terrorist attack.

Eyewitness tells @jamesrbuk man drove van at pedestrians outside London mosque, then shouted “Kill me, kill me, I want to kill all Muslims” pic.twitter.com/gSgTX05aSQ — BuzzFeed News (@BuzzFeedNews) June 19, 2017

MUSLIMS ‘TARGETED’

Police were called to the scene shortly after 12.20am local time and a helicopter circled overhead as emergency services treated people on the street and took them away on stretchers.

A woman who lives opposite told the BBC: “From the window, I started hearing a lot of yelling and screeching, a lot of chaos outside … Everybody was shouting: ‘A van’s hit people, a van’s hit people!’”

One witness, identified only as Rayan, told CNN it was clear that the attacker at Finsbury Park had deliberately targeted Muslims.

“He tried to kill a lot of people so obviously it’s a terrorist attack,” said Rayan. “He targeted Muslims this time.”

Injured pedestrians were taken away on stretchers as the road filled with police, emergency services and bystanders, including many Muslim worshippers who had just left the mosque and began praying on the street for those hurt.

London Mayor Sadiq Khan said police were “responding to a horrific terrorist attack on innocent people.”

“My thoughts and prayers are with everyone affected,” he said.

“I am grateful to our emergency services, who responded quickly and have been working on the scene throughout the night.

“This was clearly a deliberate attack on innocent Londoners, many of whom were finishing prayers during the holy month of Ramadan.

“While this appears to be an attack on a particular community, like the terrible attacks in Manchester, Westminster and London Bridge it is also an assault on all our shared values of tolerance, freedom and respect.”

Islamaphobic attack in finsbury park right now. A van randomly swerved off the main road and ran over several muslim men. pic.twitter.com/FM2RP0Fd4d — 🕊 (@__ABDULQAADIR) June 19, 2017

Muslim Welfare House CEO Toufik Kacimi issued a statement saying the community was “horrified at this incident” and sent “thoughts and prayers to the victims and those injured.”

He issued particular thanks to Imam Mohamed Mahmoud, “whose bravery and courage helped calm the immediate situation after the incident and prevented further injuries and potential loss of life”.

A spokesman from Finsbury Park Mosque on St Thomas’s Rd told news.com.au worshippers were leaving at the time of the incident “200 metres away”, but he did not know if it was a targeted attack.

#WeStandTogether in solidarity with the victims of the horrific terrorist attack in #FinsburyPark.Thoughts & prayers with all those affected pic.twitter.com/04kxobdpYN — Shomrim N.E. London (@Shomrim) June 19, 2017

‘IT WAS REALLY UGLY’

Local resident Cynthia Vanzella told Sky News: “It was really ugly. I saw at least two people on the floor not moving and police officers trying to do chest massage on them.”

Earlier, she tweeted: “Horrible to watch police officers doing cardiac massage at people on the floor, desperately trying to save them. I just hope they did.”

Lil shordy posted: “My mums friend is in a coma after the Finsbury Park attack.”

Ali Habib said he was on the scene and that a friend “doesn’t know if his family are safe at the moment”.

Finsbury Park right now. Several casualties. pic.twitter.com/LaunwLe7B6 — Ali Habib (@Habibiline) June 19, 2017

Horrible to watch police officers doing cardiac massage at people on the floor, desperately trying to save them. I just hope they did. — Cynthia Vanzella (@cynthiavanzella) June 18, 2017

WELSH VAN USED IN ATTACK

The vehicle appears to have been a hire car from Pontyclun Van Hire, based near Cardiff in Wales.

Prime Minister Theresa May said police had confirmed it was being treated as “a potential terrorist attack” and that she would chair a COBRA emergency response meeting on Monday.

UK Labour leader Mr Corbyn said he was “totally shocked at the incident” and had been in touch with local mosques, the council and police.

“My thoughts are with those and the community affected by this awful event,” he said.

Finsbury Park Mosque has been at the centre of controversy in the past. Radical cleric Abu Hamza al-Masri was barred from the north London place of worship after years of struggle and police closed it down in January 2003 amid a major al-Qaeda associated investigation, the BBC reports.

In 2003, the mosque was raided by the police and shut down before it was reclaimed in 2005 by the local Muslim community and transformed with the help of the Muslim Association of Britain.

In November 2015, the Metropolitan Police said they were treating as a hate crime an attempted arson attack. Police released CCTV footage showing a suspect throwing over the railings what police said was a can filled with petrol.

The incident follows a series of terror attacks in Britain. Eight people were killed and 50 injured on June 3 when three Islamist militants drove into pedestrians on London Bridge and stabbed people at nearby restaurants and bars.

On May 22, a suicide bomber blew himself up outside a pop concert an Ariana Grande Manchester, killing 22 people and hospitalising 59.

Victoria.craw@news.com.au</s>As far as critics are concerned — along with fans of the Steelers, Raiders and even some Patriots backers — A.B. is TNT.

Antonio Brown didn't play a down on opening weekend but grabbed the...</s>A vehicle has hit pedestrians in the Finsbury Park area of north London near a mosque, injuring several people, police say.

Police said one person had been arrested after the incident, which occurred around 12:15 a.m. on June 19.

The Muslim Council of Britain (MCB) said on Twitter that the incident occurred near the Finsbury Park Mosque and that a van "intentionally" hit worshippers leaving the mosque.

Witnesses told Sky News and the BBC that about 10 people were injured.

Police would only say that "there are a number of casualties being worked on at the scene."

It was not immediately clear if the incident were terror-related or an accident, but Sky News reported that armed police were on the scene.

The Muslim Council said on Twitter that "we have been informed that a van has run over worshippers as they left #FinsburyPark Mosque. Our prayers are with the victims," the council wrote.

The MCB leader, Harun Khan, said in a tweet that a van had "intentionally" run over people leaving midnight prayers at the mosque.

A witness told the BBC that "trom the window, I started hearing a lot of yelling and screeching, a lot of chaos outside...Everybody was shouting: 'A van’s hit people, a van’s hit people'."

"There was this white van stopped outside Finsbury Park Mosque that seemed to have hit people who were coming out after prayers had finished," the woman said. "I didn’t see the attacker himself, although he seems to have been arrested, but I did see the van."

U.K. residents are on edge after several recent terror attacks, including one on June 3 that killed eight people and injured dozens on London Bridge and nearby Borough Market.

In that incident, three men drove a van into pedestrians on the bridge and then stabbed people in nearby Borough Market. Three Muslim extremists who carried out the attack were shot dead by police.

With reporting by AP, AFP, Reuters, Sky News, and BBC</s>Finsbury Park Mosque has hit out at the media for not immediately calling a deadly van attack nearby as an act of terror.

One man has died and eight people have been taken to hospital after a vehicle was driven into pedestrians in north London in the early hours of this morning.

The van driver, described by eyewitnesses as a large white man, was detained by members of the public and later arrested by police .

In a printed statement handed out by worshippers this morning, Finsbury Park Mosque said it "condemns in the strongest terms a heinous terrorist attack earlier this morning".

It slammed the "selective" reporting of some news organisations as "unacceptable" just weeks after a series of terrorist attacks in Westminster, Manchester and London Bridge.

It read: "The van driver deliberately mowed down Muslim men and women leaving late evening prayers from Finsbury Park Mosque and Muslim Welfare House just after midnight.

"This is a callous terrorist attack, which coincides with the murdered MP, Jo Cox anniversary.

"We are extremely unhappy with the mainstream media not reporting this as a terrorist attack, whereas they are very swift in describing attacks involving individuals professing to be Muslims and acting in the name of Islam."

The mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, used the phrase 'heinous terrorist attack' as he announced extra police had been deployed in the city to reassure residents.

He called it "an assault on all our shared values of tolerance, freedom and respect" and "like the terrible attacks in Manchester, Westminster and London Bridge".

Emily Thornberry, MP for neighbouring Islington South & Finsbury, also used the phrase 'terror attack'.

She tweeted: "Shocking news of terror attack on worshippers in #FinsburyPark. My thoughts are with victims & my community today. We stay united & strong."

Labour's shadow home secretary Diane Abbott, whose Hackney North and Stoke Newington constituency lies close to the scene, also called it a terror attack.

She tweeted: "Terror attack outside #FinsburyPark mosque. Police must urgently review security for all mosques #StandTogether."

Officially the incident has not been classed by the police as a terrorist attack at this stage.

However, the investigation is being carried out by the Metropolitan Police's Counter Terrorism Command unit.

According to the 2000 Terrorism Act, "acts of terrorism" means acts of persons acting on behalf of, or in connection with, any organisation which carries out activities directed towards the overthrowing or influencing, by force or violence, of Her Majesty's government in the United Kingdom or any other government.

And Prime Minister Theresa May has called it a 'potential terror attack' and is to hold an emergency Cobra meeting.

One witness described being surrounded by bodies in the wake of the attack outside the Muslim Welfare House, close to Finsbury Park mosque.

Another said the attacker shouted about killing Muslims as he was held by local people.

The Metropolitan Police said in a statement: "One man was pronounced dead at the scene.

"Officers are in the process of informing next of kin. A post mortem examination will be scheduled due course.

"Eight people injured were taken to three separate hospitals; two people were treated at the scene for minor injuries."

Commenting on reports that the van driver also produced a knife, the statement went on: "At this stage there are no reports of any persons having suffered any knife injuries.

"The driver of the van - a man aged 48 - was found detained by members of public at the scene and then arrested by police in connection with the incident.

"He has been taken to hospital as a precaution and will be taken into custody once discharged.

"He will also be subject of a mental health assessment in due course."

The force said the investigation of the incident is being carried out by the Counter Terrorism Command.

Prime Minister Theresa May said: "Police have confirmed this is being treated as a potential terrorist attack.

"I will chair an emergency meeting later this morning.

"All my thoughts are with the victims, their families and the emergency services on the scene."</s>Another possible terrorist attack in North London as a large rented van has intentionally driven into a crowd of people in Finsbury Park, London on Seven Sisters road. The incident happened in front of a very well known mosque (Finsbury Park Mosque) where extremist cleric Abu Hamza was expelled earlier.

Multiple extremist clerics are identified with the Finsbury Park Mosque. The incident took place around midnight local time.

Initial reports of multiple people hit by the vehicle. The Daily Mail reports: Several people were reportedly hurt after the van ploughed into a crowd on Seven Sisters Road near Finsbury Park Mosque. Eyewitnesses reported seeing bystanders wrestle the suspect to the floor and pin him down until officers arrived.

Twitter users claimed the victims were Muslims leaving late-night prayers being observed for the month of Ramadan.

A Metropolitan Police helicopter was seen circling overhead as photographs posted on social media showed a huge response from the emergency services. Dozens of police cars and vans cordoned off a large area of the normally bustling thoroughfare as stunned locals gathered at the scene.

More images on Twitter appeared to show a clean-shaven white man with black hair being detained by police officers behind a van, surrounded by a group of shouting onlookers. The incident follows two terrorist attacks in a matter of weeks at Westminster and London Bridge. (continue reading)</s>Multiple casualties are reported in London’s Finsbury Park, where a vehicle drove into pedestrians, many of whom are believed to be Muslims coming out of the local mosque after prayers. Police have arrested one person and ambulances are on the scene.

London’s Metropolitan Police said in a statement that “there are a number of casualties being worked on at the scene” of the apparent attack, which took place at Seven Sisters Road.

A white van hit people close to the Finsbury Park Mosque. Multiple reports say the attacker is a white male.

A witness of the attack told Ruptly’s producer Jon Scammell that many of the people were “crushed … while they were having their coffee.” It coincided with the time of the night when Muslims are breaking their fast during the holy month of Ramadan.

Videos purporting to show the aftermath of the incident emerged on social media, in which several people could be seen lying motionless on the ground.

Twitter user Didier, who says he was at the scene at the time the incident unfolded, posted a video showing the arrest of a suspected attacker by police. Didier wrote that he saw at least seven people injured as a result of the attack, including three of them seriously.

The London Ambulance Service has so far said that they “sent a number of resources to an incident in Seven Sisters Road.”

Before the police arrived at the scene, bystanders reportedly apprehended the alleged attacker and pinned him to the ground.

Armed police arrived at the scene and inspected the van used in the attack. The scene has been cordoned off.

Some eyewitnesses report that the driver veered off the road into the crowd on purpose. The van “slowly and intentionally accelerated into a crowded cafe outside a mosque,” LBC cited an eyewitness as saying.

According to unconfirmed reports cited by the Evening Standard, a man wielding a knife came out of the van after it mounted the pavement and stabbed at least one person.

While police have not yet categorized the incident, the chairman of Finsbury Park mosque, Mohammed Kozbar, labelled it a “terrorist attack,” likening it to the recent terrorist attacks that rocked Manchester and London.

“Whoever did this, he did it to hurt people and it’s a terrorist attack,” Kozbar told the Sun newspaper.

Agitated bystanders approached police cordons, demanding that they disclose the known details and identity of the attacker, RT’s Ruptly agency’s live video feed showed. Officers replied that they “won’t release names,” and continued to call it a “serious, major incident.”

The London Fire Brigade reported that they are assisting the police and ambulance services in dealing with the incident.

Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn tweeted he was “totally shocked at the incident at Finsbury Park tonight,” adding that his thoughts were “with those in the community affected by this awful event.” Corbyn has been the MP for the Islington North constituency, which includes Finsbury Park Mosque, since 1983.



A similar statement by Prime Minister Theresa May also called the attack “a terrible incident.”



“All my thoughts are with those who have been injured, their loved ones, and the emergency services on the scene,” May said.</s>LONDON (CBS News) – One person was arrested early Monday morning after a vehicle rammed into pedestrians, leaving ten people injured and possibly killing one in what police said appeared to have been a terrorist attack near a north London mosque.

The Metropolitan Police said they were called to the scene on Seven Sisters Road at 12:20 a.m. local time.

They said in a statement that one man was pronounced dead at the scene and at least eight more were taken to three separate hospitals with injuries. Two other people were treated at the scene for minor injuries.

The police later said it was unclear whether the deceased man might have died of an unrelated condition or injuries, as he was already on the ground being treated by bystanders after an apparent collapse when the van drove onto the sidewalk.

“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,” London deputy police commissioner Neil Basu said. “It is too early to state if his death was as a result of the attack.”

Regardless, police said the incident “had all the hallmarks of a terrorist incident.”

The driver of the van, a 48-year-old man, “was found detained by members of public at the scene and then arrested by police in connection with the incident,” according to a statement released by the police.

The lone suspect was taken to a hospital and treated for unspecified injuries before being placed under arrest on suspicion of attempted murder. He was to receive a “mental health assessment in due course.”

Police said there were no other people being sought in connection to the attack later Monday morning, but noted that the investigation was ongoing.

The police did not give any information about a suspected motive, but said the incident was being investigated by the Counter Terrorism Command, and noted that, “due to the nature of this incident extra policing resources have been deployed in order to reassure communities, especially those observing Ramadan.”

Witnesses said the van ran into worshipers as they left the Muslim Welfare House and the nearby Finsbury Park Mosque shortly after midnight prayers.

Witness Mohamed Mohidin told the Reuters news agency that the van driver came onto the sidewalk, “coming straight towards all the Muslims, and as he’s coming to them he hit all of them, and I think one of them died straight away… and the rest are in a bad condition.”

A man who said he helped tackle the van driver to the ground and hold him there until police arrived said the suspect told him he had, “wanted to kill more Muslims.”

Another witness, Khalid Amin, told the BBC that the van turned onto the sidewalk and “just hit the people.” He said that as members of the public seized the driver, “he was shouting, ‘all Muslims, I want to kill all Muslims.’ Literally, he said that. Word by word.”

Many people at the scene credited the Imam of the Muslim Welfare House, Mohammed Mahmoud, with calming the tense situation as bystanders held the suspect down before police arrived. He was heard trying to protect the van driver from some in the crowd who had directed their anger at the suspect.

The Finsbury Park mosque’s chairman, Mohammed Kozbar, called the incident a “cowardly attack” in a statement on on Twitter. “Our thoughts and prayers with those who got injured and [affected] by this cowardly attack in Finsbury Park area, many casualties in the floor,” Kozbar tweeted.

“Police have confirmed this is being treated as a potential terrorist attack,” U.K. Prime Minister Theresa May said, adding that she would chair an emergency meeting of her government later in the day.

“All my thoughts are with the victims, their families and the emergency services on the scene,” she said.

A leader of the Muslim Council of Britain called for extra security at mosques after the incident. The group’s general secretary, Harun Khan, said that eyewitnesses saw the van driver hit a number of Muslims.

“During the night, ordinary British citizens were set upon while they were going about their lives, completing their night worship. It appears from eyewitness accounts that the perpetrator was motivated by Islamophobia,” he said.

London Mayor Sadiq Khan, a Muslim, offered his “thoughts and prayers” on Twitter to the victims of what he called a “horrific terrorist attack on innocent people.”

“While this appears to be an attack on a particular community, like the terrible attacks in Manchester, Westminster and London Bridge it is also an assault on all our shared values of tolerance, freedom and respect,” he said. “The situation is still unfolding and I urge all Londoners to remain calm and vigilant.”

The van hit pedestrians outside the Muslim Welfare House, another Islamic community facility near the mosque. The Muslim Welfare House released a statement Monday saying that it was shocked and appalled by the event.

“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,” it said.

A witness who lives near the scene told the BBC she heard chaos outside her home.

“From the window, I started hearing a lot of yelling and screeching, a lot of chaos outside. Everybody was shouting: ‘A van’s hit people, a van’s hit people.’ There was this white van stopped outside Finsbury Park Mosque that seemed to have hit people who were coming out after prayers had finished,” the witness said.

Jeremy Corbyn, the Labour Party leader, said he was “totally shocked” by the event. “I’ve been in touch with the mosques, police and Islington Council,” he said in a statement on Twitter.

The incident Monday follows two deadly attacks in London in which pedestrians were deliberately mowed down by vehicles; in Westminster in March and the London Bridge attack earlier this month.</s>Suspected as a ‘terror attack’, a van on early hours on Monday rammed into crowd of pedestrians near a north London mosque leaving 1 dead and several injured.

Responding to the emergency call, police has cordoned the area and sealed the entry and exit points near Finsbury Park Mosque in Seven Sisters Road. The police have also arrested the suspect who as per the eyewitness at the crime scene described the man ‘intoxicated’ under ‘motive to kill’.

“There are a number of casualties being worked on at the scene. There has been one person arrested,” police said in a statement.

The Muslim Council of Britain (MCB) said a van ‘intentionally’ ran over worshippers. Many of the victims are believed to have just left evening prayers after breaking the Ramadan fast.

The London Ambulance Service was responding to the incident.

Reportedly there were three people in the van as the attack apparently happened when a score of people were coming out of the Finsbury Park Mosque after offering prayers.

A Para-medic team was rushed to the site of ‘attack’ and all the injured people have been rushed to a nearby facility for medical assistance.

Called at 12:15 AM (GMT) to reports of a road traffic collision at Seven Sisters Road, London Ambulance Service deputy director of operations Kevin Bate in a statement said, “We have sent a number of ambulance crews, advance paramedics and specialist responses teams to the scene.

“An advance trauma team from London’s Air Ambulance has also been dispatched by car,” he added.

Asserting that all the pre requisites were being taken care of, Kevin Bate assured to assess the level and nature of injuries and ensure those in the need are treated first and taken to hospital.</s>(CNN) — A vehicle has hit pedestrians in London’s Finsbury Park, causing “a number of casualties,” according to authorities.

The city’s Metropolitan Police said officers were called just after midnight Sunday to an incident on Seven Sisters Road. “There has been one person arrested,” who authorities believe was the driver, police said.

A Metropolitan Police spokesperson said it is “too early to say” if the collision is a terror incident.

A witness told CNN’s Phil Black the van “came to a stop, and that’s when they were able to apprehend the driver … they were able to pull him out.”

What we know so far

— The incident happened just after midnight local time Monday morning

— Authorities are treating casualties at the scene on Seven Sisters Road

— Witnesses say a vehicle ran into Muslim worshippers near Finsbury Park Mosque

— One person is in custody

London Ambulance tweeted: “We have sent a number of resources to an incident in Seven Sisters Road. More information will follow when we have it.”

Transport for London tweeted that Seven Sisters Road was closed northbound at Hornsey Road and southbound at Rock Street.

The incident comes at a time when emotions are high in England, where there have been several recent terrorist attacks. On May 22, a suicide attack killed 22 people and injured nearly 60 after an Ariana Grande concert in Manchester. Then on June 3, eight people were killed and 48 were injured when three men drove a van into pedestrians on London Bridge before leaping out and launching a stabbing spree in nearby bars and restaurants.

The Muslim Council of Britain tweeted, “We have been informed that a van has run over worshipers as they left #FinsburyPark Mosque. Our prayers are with the victims.”

CNN national terror analyst Peter Bergen said the Finsbury Park neighborhood has a large Muslim population and the nearby mosque had a notorious reputation as a place where Islamist militants used to gather.

“If you were interested in targeting a group of Muslims at a mosque that was notorious, this would be the mosque you would do it at. I think it’s significant that they had the reputation historically of being one of the most militant mosques in London. And that reputation may be more historical than current,” he said.

Bergen added: “Ramadan, particularly in a country like the UK, where the days are very long in June, you know you’re fasting from dawn to dusk and you’re breaking the fast at night. … Night comes pretty late in London this time of year. It wouldn’t be odd that you would have large numbers of people breaking their fasts and praying at this time.”

Opened in 1994, Finsbury Park Mosque is an unassuming five-story redbrick building in residential north London, close to Arsenal Football Club’s Emirates Stadium. The mosque, which today operates largely as a community center, rose to international notoriety in the early 2000s, due to its links with Egyptian-born radical cleric Abu Hamza al-Masri.

Abu Hamza, who was the mosque’s imam from 1997 to 2003, was later extradited to the United States, where he was convicted of supporting al Qaeda and Taliban terrorists, and sentenced to life in prison in 2015.

Among those known to have worshiped at the mosque during Abu-Hamza’s time there are convicted shoe bomber Richard Reid and Zacarias Moussaoui, the so-called 20th hijacker of September 11.

The mosque has since undergone a series of high-profile reforms, including the installation of a new leadership board, led by the Muslim Association of Britain.

The Islington borough of North London, of which Finsbury Park is a part, is home to a large Muslim community. Around 10% of the borough’s population is Muslim.

Islington’s Seven Sisters Road, where the attack took place, is home to at least four mosques, and would have likely been filled with worshipers leaving late-night taraweeh prayers and heading back toward the Finsbury Park Underground Station.

Resident Cynthia Vanzella said she was in bed when she heard people shouting. Vanzella said she went to the window and saw “loads of people gathering” in a corner across the road from her window.

“They were very nervous, shouting very loud, trying desperately to make some signs to a police car that was … just passing the road,” she told CNN.

“I saw so many of them crying, screaming, trying to get the police and the ambulance,” she said.

She added: “I saw a lot of people injured. They were helping on the pavement and trying to help them to get to the scene.”

Vanzella said she saw police put a man into a police car and take him away, but she didn’t see them arrest him.

“People were shouting this is an act of terrorism, even though he’s white,” another witness, Hillary Briffa, said, referring to the man taken away be police.

“These were the kinds of comments people were yelling out,” she said.

She added: “Everybody was clamoring around and shouting at the man … There was a lot of shouting in Arabic, so I can’t tell you exactly what was being said.”

Developing story. More to come.</s>(CNN) London is once again waking up to bloodshed.

Here's what we know so far about an incident in which a van drove into pedestrians near Finsbury Park Mosque , north London, in the early hours of Monday morning. One person was killed, and several injured.

UK Prime Minister Theresa May said the attack is being treated as a "potential terrorist attack," in comments reported by the UK Press Association.

The driver of the van, a 48-year-old man, was held by people at the scene until police could arrest him. The Metropolitan police's Counter Terrorism Command forces are investigating the incident which happened during Ramadan.

Two eyewitnesses tell CNN they saw three men in the van. One was detained and two left the scene. Police said they've not identified any other suspects at the scene nor have any been reported to police.

The Metropolitan police have deployed extra officers to "reassure communities, especially those observing Ramadan," according to London's Mayor Sadiq Khan.

Islington's Seven Sisters Road, where the attack took place, is home to at least four mosques, and would have likely been filled with worshipers leaving late-night taraweeh prayers.

The Islington borough of North London, of which Finsbury Park is a part, is home to a large Muslim community. Around 10% of the borough's population is Muslim.

Abu Hamza, who was the mosque's imam from 1997 to 2003, was later extradited to the United States, where he was convicted of supporting al Qaeda and Taliban terrorists, and sentenced to life in prison in 2015.

UK Prime Minister Theresa May said police are treating the van incident near Finsbury Park "as a potential terrorist attack," the UK Press Association reported.

The association quoted the Prime Minister saying: "I will chair an emergency meeting later this morning. All my thoughts are with the victims, their families and the emergency services on the scene."

London Mayor Sadiq Khan called the incident "a horrific terrorist attack." In a statement Khan said, "While this appears to be an attack on a particular community, like the terrible attacks in Manchester, Westminster and London Bridge it is also an assault on all our shared values of tolerance, freedom and respect.

A statement released by the Muslim Council of Britain (MCB) condemned what it described as a "terror attack." "During the night, ordinary British citizens were set upon while they were going about their lives, completing their night worship. My prayers are with the victims and their families," read the statement.

Jeremy Corbyn, the leader of Britain's opposition Labour Party tweeted "I'm totally shocked at the incident at Finsbury Park tonight. I've been in touch with the mosques, police and Islington council regarding the incident. My thoughts are with those and the community affected by this awful event."
At least one person has been killed and ten injured after a van runs over pedestrians outside the Finsbury Park Mosque in the north London suburb of Finsbury Park. Police are investigating the act as a terrorist incident.