COPS HAD ‘MOSQUE DRIVER’ HOURS BEFORE ATTACK
POLICE had the chance to stop terror suspect Darren Osborne hours before the London mosque attack.
Officers found him asleep in his van after a drinking session.
But instead of arresting him they decided to let him sleep it off.
Osborne, 47, later drove 160 miles to London and allegedly used the same van to mow down worshippers as they left Finsbury Park mosque in the early hours of Monday. One man died and 10 others were hurt.
Last night, dad-of-four Osborne was still being questioned on suspicion of murder and terror crimes.
Edward Gardiner, 28, who lives near him in Cardiff, claimed the attack could have been prevented if police had acted on his tip-off.
Mr Gardiner called 101 after spotting his neighbour asleep in the van early on Sunday. He said: “They said they would sort it out. In hindsight I wish I would’ve called 999 instead.’’
Earlier, Osborne had been kicked out of a pub for an alleged drunken anti-Muslim rant. When he awoke in the van on Sunday morning he bought lager then drove to London.
Last night, South Wales Police defended their actions. A spokesman said officers found a man “asleep inside” the van but decided “no offences were disclosed”. Osborne split from girlfriend Sarah Andrews six weeks ago. He tried to kill himself by jumping in a river, his sister Nicola revealed. She said: “He asked to be sectioned, but they wouldn’t do it.” Police have arrested the son of a boss at the rental firm where Osborne hired the van. It came after a tweet which read: “Shame they don’t hire out steamrollers or tanks. Could have done a tidy job then.’’