Police officers attend to the scene after a vehicle collided with pedestrians in the Finsbury Park neighborhood of North London, Britain June 19, 2017. REUTERS/Neil Hall
In what is suspected to be another “terrorist attack” in London, a van rammed into worshippers leaving Finsbury Park Mosque in London late Sunday night. According to a report by Reuters, several people were injured in the incident. The British police, in its statement, described the on-going situation in London as a “major incident” but has not yet called it as a “terrorist attack”. As per the police officials, cited by Reuters, the police received a call at around 12:20 am regarding the collision on Seven Sisters Road, which runs through the area around the mosque. They also said that several people are feared to be dead in the incident and they have arrested one suspect.
Worshippers were hit by a van as they left a north London mosque, the Muslim Council of Britain said on Monday. “We have been informed that a van has run over worshippers as they left Finsbury Park Mosque,” it said on Twitter.
“From the window, I started hearing a lot of yelling and screeching, a lot of chaos outside. … Everybody was shouting: ‘A van’s hit people, a van’s hit people’,” an eyewitness was quoted by BBC. “There was this white van stopped outside Finsbury Park mosque that seemed to have hit people who were coming out after prayers had finished. I didn’t see the attacker himself, although he seems to have been arrested, but I did see the van,” she further added. At lease three people were seriously injured near the mosque, another witness was quoted by BBC. A witness told Reuters that he saw at least one person being loaded into an ambulance. Police and ambulances are in in attendance.
Live Updates:
7:40 am: According to witnesses cited by Sky News, at least 10 people were hit by the white van outside the mosque. Meanwhile, according to report by MSNBC, New York Police Department said they will send officers to local mosques following the incident in London.
7:30 am Several police officials have gathered at the scene of the crime. According to reports, several casualties are feared in the incident. Police said they are investigating the scenes.
07:20 am: British police has described the accident as a “major incident” but have so far refrained from calling it a terrorist attack. They also said that one person has been arrested so far.
Why isn’t the media not calling this a terror attack 😡,is it because his White #FinsburyPark pic.twitter.com/rGYNkNw2CF
— sandeep_k (@sandeep_k2) June 19, 2017
07:00 am: Muslim Council Board on Twitter said that several worshippers were run over outside a mosque in Finsbury Park in London.
BREAKING: We have been informed that a van has run over worshippers as they left #FinsburyPark Mosque. Our prayers are with the victims. http://t.co/FSE5m3bFpo
— MCB (@MuslimCouncil) June 19, 2017
6:50 am Since this is the Holy month of Ramazan, several people were gathered at the mosque to offer their prayers. Several people have been reportedly injured in the incident.
6:45 am Reports have come out that a van has rammed into several pedestrians outside a mosque in London.