1 Dead, 8 Hurt in 'Terror Attack' Outside London Mosque

Van plowed into Finsbury Park worshippers
By Rob Quinn,  Newser Staff
Posted Jun 19, 2017 12:44 AM CDT
1 Dead, 8 Hurt in 'Terror Attack' Outside London Mosque
Local people observe prayers at Finsbury Park after Sunday night's suspected attack.   (Yui Mok/PA via AP)

In what authorities say is being treated as a terrorist attack, at least one person was killed when a van plowed into worshippers outside a mosque in north London early Monday. Police say a 48-year-old man was arrested after the vehicle ran into people that had left Finsbury Park Mosque just after midnight, the BBC reports. Witnesses say it was clear that the man was deliberately trying to run people over. "There were loads of people coming out and the van took a left and went straight into them," a worshipper tells the Evening Standard. "The crowd caught a guy. He tried to do a London Bridge thing." At least eight people were injured.

Some witnesses said the driver attempted to stab people after the attack, though local hospitals say they are not treating anybody with stab wounds. The van is believed to have been rented in Wales. London Mayor Sadiq Khan condemned the attack as an assault on "innocent Londoners, many of whom were finishing prayers during the holy month of Ramadan"—and on "all our shared values of tolerance, freedom, and respect," the Guardian reports. Khan said extra police have been deployed to protect communities celebrating Ramadan. The New York City Police Department says it has also sent additional police officers to protect mosques. (More London stories.)

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