At least 43 years in jail for racist loner on ‘suicide mission’ attack

A JOBLESS loner who deliberately mowed down Muslim worshippers in Finsbury Park in a “suicide mission” terror attack has been jailed for at least 43 years.

Darren Osborne ploughed a hire van onto a crowded pavement outside two mosques in north London shortly after midnight on June 19 last year, killing Makram Ali, 51, and injuring 12 others.

The 48-year-old, who had denied murder and attempted murder, acted to “kill, maim, injure and terrify” as many people as possible in a bid to sow “longlasting terror among the Muslim population”, Woolwich Crown Court heard.

Osborne, who was radicalised in the space of just a few weeks after becoming obsessed with extreme far-right material online, gave no reaction yesterday as, passing sentence, Mrs Justice Cheema-Grubb told him: “This was a terrorist attack. You intended to kill.”

Osborne’s conviction prompted renewed calls for internet firms to do more to remove inflammatory content from websites. A Downing Street spokesman said: “The internet cannot be used as a safe space for terrorists or those who want to spread terrorist or extremist content.

“We recognise there has been some progress in this area but the Prime Minister has made clear that internet companies need to go further and faster in removing this sort of content from their websites.”

A jury took just one hour to convict Osborne on Thursday, dismissing his 11th-hour defence that an accomplice named Dave had been driving at the point of impact.

During his nine-day trial, the father-of-four told the court he had wanted to kill senior Labour figures including leader Jeremy Corbyn and London Mayor Sadiq Khan.

He also admitted he had initially hoped to target the pro-Palestinian Al Quds march in central London, but his plans were thwarted by road closures.

Mrs Justice Cheema-Grubb said Osborne’s conduct in court exposed his “unreformed attitude and lack of insight” while his “belligerent and violent” character would pose a significant risk to the public for a long time to come.

She went on: “You have been convicted on overwhelming evidence by an intelligent British jury who saw through your pathetic last-ditch attempt to deceive them by blaming someone else for your crimes.”

The judge described Osborne’s murderous rampage as a “suicide mission”, adding that a handwritten note found in the cab of the van revealed his “twisted view of Muslims”.

Following the sentencing, Ruzina Akhtar, one of Mr Ali’s six children, told reporters her father had been a “peaceful and simple man”. She added: “Our father, like the victims of most terrorism, was entirely innocent, which makes his death in this violent way all the more hurtful. We cannot imagine the trauma he felt in his last few minutes.”

Home Secretary Amber Rudd said: “Nothing will make up for the death of Mr Makram Ali but this conviction and long sentence will hopefully come as some solace to his family and those injured as a result of Darren Osborne’s horrific terrorist attack at Finsbury Park.

“This government will continue to be unwavering in our resolve to combat all forms of terrorism, whatever the underlying motivation.”

The court heard Osborne had a criminal record spanning 30 years and had appeared in court on 33 occasions for 102 convictions.

You have been convicted on overwhelming evidence. Mrs Justice Cheema-Grubb