Terror suspect ‘turned against Muslims’ after London attack
Father-of-four held on suspicion of driving van into Finsbury Park crowd was ‘increasingly agitated’ following recent outrages
THE suspect in the Finsbury Park terror attack had expressed increasingly antagonistic views towards Muslims in the weeks since the recent London Bridge atrocity, it emerged last night.
Darren Osborne, 47, was arrested in the early hours of yesterday on suspicion of driving a van into a crowd of Muslim worshippers in north London. He is alleged to have shouted “kill all Muslims” and “this is for London Bridge”. Muslim residents on the Cardiff estate where he lived with his partner and four children claimed he had previously been friendly but said his attitude had changed in recent weeks.
He allegedly hurled insults at his Asian neighbour’s 12-year-old son following the Islamist attack in the capital earlier this month. And just the night before the attack it was claimed that he was thrown out of a local pub after becoming embroiled in an ill-tempered row about immigration in which he was “cursing Muslims”.
Mr Osborne was arrested after allegedly driving a hire van into a crowd of men leaving the Muslim Welfare House mosque in the Finsbury Park area of north London, almost 160 miles from his home.
One man, 52-year-old Markram Ali, who was already receiving first aid after collapsing just prior to the incident, died at the scene. Nine others were seriously injured.
Witnesses who dragged Mr Osborne from the cab claimed he told them: “I want to kill Muslims. You deserve it. I did my bit.”
Another witness last night also claimed he was heard to shout: “This is for London Bridge.”
Immediately after the attack Theresa May said that Muslim communities and mosques would be given extra police resources. Within hours, she visited the Finsbury Park mosque, which is situated yards from the attack and gained notoriety in the early 2000s for its links to hate preachers and extremists. Scotland Yard, which declared the attack a terrorist incident within eight minutes, was last night investigating Mr Osborne’s movements and behaviour in recent weeks. Officers said they believed he was acting alone.
Last night his sister, Nicola Osborne, said her brother had been “troubled for a long time”. She added: “Sorry is not a word that you can use really. I’m sorry that my brother has been that troubled that it has taken him to that level of troubledness.”
His mother, Christine Osborne, said his son was a “complex” character but had never expressed extreme views. “It’s a terrible, terrible shock,” she said. “It’s not just robbing a bank, it’s an atrocity.” She claimed he was “disturbed” and had been on medication for mental health problems.
“My son is no terrorist — he’s just a man with problems,” she added. His neighbour, Khadijah Sherazi, described how she had previously been on good terms with Mr Osborne, who had even offered to mend her broken tap, but said he had recently become abusive.
She said he had called her 12-yearold son “inbred” while he was playing on his bike outside their home.
In another incident, the manager of the nearby Hollybush pub said Mr Osborne had been asked to leave on Saturday night after arguing with a regular customer about immigration. One witness said: “He got chucked out as he was so drunk. He was cursing Muslims and saying he would do some damage.”
Another regular at the pub said: “He’s a loud and aggressive person. He’s always shouting the odds if anyone disagrees with him.” Yesterday police visited the pub to take statements
from the staff and customers. It is thought Mr Osborne, who is unemployed, hired a van from a local company on Sunday before driving for more than four hours to north London, where he carried out the alleged attack.
After being dragged from the van by an angry mob, he was protected by the imam of the Muslim Welfare House, Mohammed Mahmoud, who ordered people not to attack Mr Osborne, but hand him over to the police. Last night Mr Mahmoud was hailed a hero by the community for upholding the law.
Among the victims was a man in his 20s named Ibrahim, who was described by friends as a “true gentleman of Finsbury”. He is believed to be in a coma after the attack. Another worshipper, Mohamed Sherif Hamza, was thought to be in a serious condition, while Walid Mohamed, who is in his 30s, is understood to have a broken leg.
The attack is the fourth terrorist incident in the UK in recent months.
Visiting the scene yesterday afternoon, Mrs May met a selection of faith leaders who discussed their concerns with her. The Prime Minister was greeted with heckles and jeers as she got into her car to return to Downing Street. People at the scene shouted, “have you got a faster taxi today?” and, “how can you be so quick today?”
It marks the latest difficult encounter for Mrs May in the wake of major disasters, with her response to last week’s Grenfell Tower fire having been heavily criticised.
Yesterday she said that more would be done to crack down on Islamophobia, with a package of measures to tackle extremism expected in the Queen’s Speech tomorrow.
“Extra police resources have already been deployed to reassure communities, and the police will continue to assess the security needs of mosques and provide any additional resources needed,” she said.
She condemned the incident as “every bit as sickening” as the recent atrocities in London and Manchester.