Reports

IT WAS shortly after midnight when the group of worshippers finished their nightly Taraweeh prayers at the Muslim Welfare House mosque in north London’s Finsbury Park.

Under discussion had been the tragic events at Grenfell Tower, but also the anniversary of the murder of Labour MP Jo Cox by a Right-wing extremist.

Despite the late hour, the balmy temperatures meant nobody was in a hurry to get home, and friends, many wearing traditional white Ramadan gowns, stood around chatting.

Eventually a small group of men said goodnight and moved off along the still busy Seven Sisters Road towards their homes on the nearby Andover Estate.

But after a short distance, 52-yearold Markran Ali, who had earlier complained of feeling unwell, collapsed to the ground clutching his chest. As his companions gathered round to tend to him, they became the victims in what has now been acknowledged to be Britain’s latest terrorist outrage.

A 3.5-ton Luton van, which had been travelling east along Seven Sisters Road veered violently across the carriageway and ploughed at high speed into the group at 12.20am.

Mr Ali was pronounced dead at the scene over half an hour later.

His 26-year-old daughter reportedly was with him in his final moments after rushing from her home to be by his side. At least nine others were seriously injured, with some lodged under the vehicle’s wheels.

Hearing the screams of those trapped, fellow worshippers raced to the scene and while some sought to help the wounded, others, realising what they had just witnessed, hauled the van driver from the cab. there were any doubts as to whether it was a tragic accident, the alleged behaviour of the driver appeared to instantly dispel that. According to those on the scene, 47-year-old Darren Osborne, who was behind the wheel, calmly told the group: “I’m going to kill Muslims… you deserve it… I did my bit.” It has now emerged that earlier on Sunday, the suspect had travelled 30 miles from his home on the outskirts of Cardiff to one of the only car hire companies in the area open on a Sunday, from where he had rented the large Luton van. A spokesman for the firm, expressing shock and sadness, confirmed that it was one of its vehicles. He added: “We are co-operating fully with the Metropolitan Police investigation and our thoughts are with those who have been injured in this cowardly attack.”

After hiring the van, Mr Osborne had allegedly set off to drive the 160 miles to the area of north London that is home to the once infamous Finsbury Park mosque. In the early 2000s, the area became synonymous with radical Islam when the mosque had been the base of hate preacher Abu Hamza. But after being shut down in 2003 by the police, the centre reopened two years later, with a new board of trustees and a completely different approach.

Since then the mosque has been at the centre of efforts to integrate with the wider community and often holds open days for people of all faiths.

But to many on the far-right, the place of worship has never shed its former reputation and in recent years it has been the target of several attacks, including an attempted firebombing.

Whether the suspect’s intended tarif get was the mosque is not yet known and will form part of the police investigation. Those injured had not been at the mosque but at the Muslim Welfare House, a sister mosque just yards away under the railway bridges on Seven Sisters Road.

After being dragged from his cab, Mr Osborne, who was described by one witness as having a strong West Country accent, also allegedly told the group: “Kill me.”

But for the extraordinary actions of the Mosque’s imam, Mohammed Mahmoud, he may have got his wish.

As the angry crowd began raining blows on him, kicking and punching him as he lay on the ground, Mr Mahmoud and other officials from the mosque stepped in to protect him.

Showing incredible restraint and calm, the broad-shouldered, 6ft-tall imam, stood serenely over the alleged attacker, ordering the bystanders to leave him alone.

He yelled at the shocked and angry crowd: “Don’t hit him. You do not touch him. Hand him over to the police.”

Speaking at the scene yesterday, Mr Mahmoud urged people to show restraint in the wake of the attack, even calling for forgiveness.

Describing how he saved the assailant’s life, he said: “We found a group of people quickly started to collect around the assailant. Some tried to hit and punch and kick him.

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

Bystanders flagged down a passing police van, which immediately called in counter-terrorism support.

The suspect was handed over to police, but even as he was being handcuffed, he sought to inflame the crowd by grinning at them and blowing kisses. He was taken to hospital for a mental health assessment, but police were quite clear in declaring it a terrorist investigation.

Hours later the Metropolitan Police issued a statement confirming that the suspect had been arrested for the commission, preparation or instigation of terrorism including murder and attempted murder.

Despite the late hour, news of the attack spread quickly throughout the local community, bringing scores of concerned locals on to the streets.

Members of the local Jewish and Christian faiths were quickly on the scene to offer their support and show their solidarity. As the area woke up to news of the attack locals came to place flowers at the scene.

As the day drew on, Sajid Javid, the Communities Secretary, attended the scene, followed a short while later by Theresa May, who despite expressing her disgust at the attack was heckled by sections of the crowd.