Mosque terror victim was alive before van hit him, say family
A FATHER-of-six who died in the Finsbury Park attack had been sitting up and talking after a fall when he was mown down, his family said yesterday.
Makram Ali, 51, collapsed due to a pre-existing leg injury while walking home from prayers at a mosque just moments before the attack in the early hours of Monday.
Yesterday his devastated family paid tribute to the ‘gentle’ peace-loving grandfather, who died in his daughter’s arms. They said Mr Ali was sitting up and chatting about how he wanted to go home as others rushed to help him when he was struck by a 3.5-tonne van, which veered on to the pavement, killing him and injuring ten others.
Police say a preliminary postmortem examination found Mr Ali died of multiple injuries. There had been speculation about whether his death was caused by the fall or the vehicle deliberately driven at Muslims leaving the mosque in North London.
Yesterday his family released a statement describing Mr Ali, who moved to the UK aged ten from Bangladesh, as a quiet, loving man who had no enemies. One of his daughters fought back tears as she described the ‘ immense loss in our lives’, adding: ‘We are devastated by the loss of a husband, father, brother and grandfather, Makram Ali, in this tragic event.
‘Our father was a quiet gentle man. He didn’t get involved in political or social discussion, he instead took comfort and enjoyment spending time with his wife, children and grandchildren and he was always ready to make a funny joke when you least expected.
‘We know that he had some form of collapse because of his weak leg, a condition he suffers from, before recovering, sitting up and expressing a wish to return home only to then become a victim of this horrific incident. We wish everyone to know what a loving man he was – he spent his whole life without any enemies.’
The family called for calm in the wake of the attack, adding: ‘We as a family have always believed that the actions of one person cannot be a reflection of a whole people and I have no doubt that our father would not wish for there to be any retaliation or recriminations and would urge people to remain calm and to pray for peace in these difficult times.’
Metropolitan Police Commissioner Cressida Dick and senior investigators met Mr Ali’s four daughters, two sons and two grandchildren at Scotland Yard yesterday. The family had been due to fly to Canada for a holiday when the attack happened.
Yassin Hersi, 45, who was also injured, said he was the first person to help Mr Ali after he slipped and fell. He added: ‘The guy was talking normally – I thought he would be safe. The crowd of people from the mosque was gathering asking what happened and the van just ran over us.’
Officers are still questioning the van’s alleged driver, Darren Osborne, 47, who was held at the scene on suspicion of preparation and instigation of terrorism, attempted murder and murder.