‘Lucky no one died in mosque attack’
Incident being treated as Islamophobic hate crime
It is “extremely fortunate” no one died when a car hit worshippers outside a mosque in an apparent antiMuslim attack, a senior police officer has said. Three people were struck by the vehicle.
IT IS “extremely fortunate” noone died after a car hit a group of worshippers outside a mosque in an apparent anti-Muslim attack, a senior police officer has said.
Three people were struck by the vehicle outside the Al-Majlis Al-Hussaini Islamic centre in Cricklewood, north-west London, following a late-night lecture.
Two men in their 20s suffered minor injuries and a man in his 50s is in hospital with a serious leg injury, Scotland Yard said.
The occupants of the car hurled anti-Muslim insults and abuse before driving at a group leaving the Islamic centre on Oxgate Lane, by Edgware Road, at around 12.30am on Wednesday, Scotland Yard said.
The occupants, three men and a woman in their mid-20s, confronted worshippers after being told to leave a private car park by security some minutes earlier.
They are said to have been drinking, taking drugs, and behaving antisocially.
Metropolitan Police Chief Superintendent Simon Rose said: “At around half past midnight, volunteer stewards challenged a small group of individuals.
“They were subjected to a tirade of Islamophobic and racist abuse and an altercation then took place.
“The people who had been challenged then drove at members of the community in a car.
“The car mounted the pavement twice. The vehicle then drove off and was involved in a fail-to-stop accident.
“We were extremely fortunate there was no loss of life. It is being dealt with as an Islamophobic hate crime and it is being dealt with as a racist hate crime.”
Detectives are analysing CCTV in a bid to trace the driver and the incident is not currently being treated as a terrorist matter, the Metropolitan Police said.
Mosque representatives said a red Nissan Juke was “hurtling down” the road and mounted the pavement before swerving into bystanders who were “indiscriminately mown down”.
A spokesman for the Hussaini Association, which organises Islamic lectures at the centre and was managing Tuesday night’s event, said: “We are in deep shock at such an attack taking place on our community but remain proud to live in a diverse and tolerant society and as such we remain unintimidated and encourage all to continue to attend the Majlis (gathering) of Hussein.”
Al Balaghi, of the Al Hussaini Association, added he wished the victims a “speedy recovery”.
He said: “We request all members of the public to stay calm and not to fuel any retaliation.
“We can only extend our prayers to the families and the victims.”
No arrests had been made late last night.
Samir Haidari, 36, a community organiser from London, said he arrived at the scene roughly 10 minutes after the incident to find many people “very shocked, very troubled” as paramedics treated the injured.
He said: “We’re shocked but we’re not surprised.
“No one is dealing with the rise of Islamophobia in the UK at the moment, the far-right is rising and the rhetoric is increasing and nothing is being done about it.”
Mr Haidari said he had raised concerns with police and local councils a number of times over the last year, but little had changed and Muslim communities and religious gatherings were not being protected.
Anti-immigration and antiMuslim rhetoric from “certain politicians” was “adding fuel to the fire”, he said.
He added that Islam had become “a target”.
“Twelve months ago we had another incident in Finsbury Park, so this isn’t the first and probably won’t be the last, unfortunately,” he added.
They were subjected to a tirade of Islamophobic and racist abuse
Metropolitan Police Chief Superintendent Simon Rose