Afrasianet - Police have arrested the 48-year-old driver of the van who ploughed into a crowd of pedestrians in north London, next to a Muslim center and close to a mosque. One man was pronounced dead at the scene and 10 people were injured, with eight of them being taken to the hospital.
• 19 June 2017
05:27 GMT
UK Home Secretary Amber Rudd called the Finsbury Park attack “an appalling incident” in a statement on Monday morning, and called on Londoners to unite in the face of violence.
“We must all continue to stand together, resolute, against all those who try to divide us and spread hate and fear,” Rudd said.
• 04:59 GMT
London Mayor Sadiq Khan issued a statement condemning “a horrific terrorist attack on innocent people in Finsbury Park.”
He went on to draw parallels between Sunday night’s attack and the ones that struck Manchester, Westminster and London Bridge, saying that it was “also an assault on all our shared values of tolerance, freedom and respect.”
• 04:57 GMT
• 04:29 GMT
UK Prime Minister Theresa May said that London police are treating the incident as a “potential terrorist attack.” May added that she has called an emergency meeting for Monday morning.
• 04:17 GMT
Counter Terrorism Command has been put in charge of the investigation, according to a statement by police. Police units currently working at the scene are beiing assisted by the armed police, Territorial Support Group and officers dispatched from neighbouring areas.
• 04:14 GMT
Police said they have arrested a 48-year-old man, the driver of the van that rammed pedestrians outside the Muslim Welfare House. The suspected attacker was handed over to the officers by “members of the public" and is now in custody. He is to be subjected to a mental health evaluation “in due course."
• 04:13 GMT
London Metropolitan Police have confirmed the death of one man at the scene of the attack. Eight people injured in the attack have been transported to hospitals, and another two were provided medical assistance at the scene after suffering “minor injuries,” the police said in a statement.
• 04:12 GMT
• 04:00 GMT
The Muslim Council of Britain has issued a statement following the Finsbury Park attack, urging the UK authorities to step up security at mosques “as a matter of urgency” in light of “the hugely worrying growth in Islamophobia.”
“Over the past weeks and months, Muslims have endured many incidents of Islamophobia, and this is the most violent manifestation to date,” the council said, adding that, based on eyewitness accounts, the attacker appeared to be “motivated by Islamophobia.”
In a separate Twitter message, the Council clarified that the attack was carried out outside the Muslim Welfare House, located some 300 meters away from the Finsbury Park Mosque.
RT