Hero imam who held back vengeful mob

THE imam who shielded the alleged Finsbury Park attacker from angry reprisals was hailed a hero yesterday. Mohammed Mahmoud, 30, shouted ‘Don’t touch him’ and protected the terror suspect from punches and kicks.

The van driver was wrestled to the ground by witnesses and allegedly said ‘Kill me’ as some of the crowd began to attack him. Mr Mahmoud told how he and others from the nearby Muslim Welfare House managed to surround the attacker and shield him. Taking charge, the 30-yearold religious leader shouted: ‘No one touch him – no one! No one!’

He said last night: ‘We managed to extinguish any flames of anger or mob rule. We arrived at the scene within minutes and we found the assailant on the floor. He had been restrained by about three people.

‘A group of people quickly began to collect around the assailant, and some tried to hit him, either kicks or punches.

‘By God’s grace we managed to surround him and protect him from any harm. We stopped all forms of attack and abuse that were coming from every angle.’

Mr Mahmoud said the attacker seemed ‘calm’ but was heard to say: ‘I did my bit.’

Toufik Kacimi, chief executive of the Muslim Welfare House, said: ‘Mohammed was the hero of the day, he was the one who contained the guy and held him up until the police came and took him away.

‘His bravery and courage helped calm the immediate situation after the incident and prevented further injuries and potential loss of life.’ Mr Kacimi’s sister Marian, 23, added: ‘He heard the crash and ran to the scene immediately. He saw a group beating up the suspect, he ordered them to stop and flagged down the police.

‘He is a hero, he brought a wanted man to justice. He is a peaceful, good Muslim. His actions don’t surprise us. He does not want more violence.’

Mr Mahmoud said he hoped those who tried to demonise the Muslim community for ulterior motives and to divide the country would not win.