May vows to eradicate extremism
British prime minister assails terror attack in which driver injured at least 9 people
British Prime Minister Theresa May condemned Monday’s terror attack on Muslim worshipers near a north London mosque as “sickening ” and vowed to stamp out extremist and hateful ideology “across society and on the Internet.”
May spoke hours after a van slammed into a crowd outside Finsbury Park Mosque, injuring at least nine people.
British news media identified the suspect as Darren Osborne, 47, a father of four from Cardiff, Wales.
Witnesses told British media the suspect shouted, “Kill me, I’ve done my job” after the incident. He was detained by members of the public until police arrived, according to the Metropolitan Police. He was arrested on a charge of “commission, preparation or instigation of terrorism, including murder and attempted murder.”
One man was receiving first aid at the scene when the attack took place. The man died, but it was not clear whether his death was linked to the attack.
British Security Minister Ben Wallace told the BBC the suspect was not known to authorities, and he was believed to have acted alone.
The tragedy came during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan and followed three terror inci- dents in Britain in as many months. The other attacks were carried out by radicalized Muslims, and the Islamic State claimed responsibility.
May said police officers arrived on the scene within a minute, and they declared the attack an act of terrorism a few minutes later.
All the victims were members of the Muslim community.
“This was an attack on Muslims near their place of worship,” May said in remarks outside her Downing Street office. “And like all terrorism, in whatever form, it shares the same fundamental goal. It seeks to drive us apart and to break the precious bonds of solidarity and citizenship that we share in this country. We will not let this happen.”
May visited the mosque, meeting with Muslims and representatives from a variety of faiths.
Eyewitness Abdul Rahman told the BBC that the driver of the van said he wanted to “kill all Muslims.”
Rahman told the British broadcaster that he hit the suspect and helped subdue him.
“I hit him on his stomach ... and then me and the other guys ... we held him to the ground until he couldn’t move. We stopped him until the police came,” Rahman said.
The London Ambulance Service transported nine patients to three hospitals and treated others with lesser injuries at the scene.
Khadijh Sherazi, a Muslim who lives next door to Osborne, told
The Guardian she never had problems with the suspect until he racially abused her son days ago.
“He seemed a normal bloke, a normal family, normal kids, happy-go-lucky,” she said. “He would also shout quite a lot, but the kids seemed happy. I wouldn’t have said he was someone with mental problems.”
Harun Khan, a leader of the Muslim Council of Britain, described the incident as a hate crime against Muslims and called for extra security around mosques.
“Many will feel terrorized, no doubt be angry and saddened by what has taken place tonight,” Khan said. “We urge calm as the investigation establishes the full facts, and in these last days of Ramadan, pray for those affected and for justice.”
Police Commissioner Cressida Dick called for calm. She said extra officers on duty to reassure residents would patrol the city, particularly at Muslim places of worship.
The Finsbury Park Mosque was associated with extremist ideology for several years after the 9/11 attacks in the USA but was shut down and reorganized. It has not been associated with radical views for more than a decade.
The van attack is the latest in a string of tragedies for the nation. This month, a van plowed into pedestrians on London Bridge, after which three men entered a market wielding knives. Eight people were killed and many wounded, and three Muslim extremists who carried out the attack were killed by police.
In late May, a suicide bomber killed more than 20 people after a concert in Manchester. In March, a driver plowed into pedestrians on Westminster Bridge, causing four deaths, then exited the vehicle and stabbed a police officer to death.
Monday’s incident happened as Britain was coming to terms with a high-rise fire that killed scores of people. Mismanagement and disregard for fire safety measures by the building ’s landlord are suspected in that case.
“This attack comes at a difficult time for the city,” May said.
The fire and the terror attacks have stretched British authorities and left May’s government, which suffered losses in a snap election this month, reeling. May refused to step down and is trying to build a majority coalition. She remained resolute Monday.
“Diverse, welcoming, vibrant, compassionate, confident and determined never to give in to hate — these are the values that define this city,” she said. “These are the values that define this country. These are the values that this government will uphold. These are the values that will prevail.”