The attack that occurred outside the Finsbury Park Mosque in London shortly after midnight on Sunday killed one man and injured 10 other people. The attacker who plowed the van into the worshippers leaving Ramadan prayers has now been identified as Darren Osborne, 47, a father of four from Cardiff in Wales. London Metropolitan Police said in a statement that Osborne has no known links to extremist groups and is being held in custody on charges of attempted murder and terrorism offenses.

Osborne wanted to 'kill all Muslims'

As reported by ABC News, Abdulrahman Aidroos, a witness to the attack, told the BBC that the van driver had shouted the words “kill all Muslims,” as he plowed into the crowd leaving the mosque.

Aidroos was one of several people who tackled and detained the van driver, while an imam reportedly protected the man from harm.

Mohammad Mahmoud, the Imam in question, told the media that a group was soon gathering around Osborne with some trying to punch or kick him. The Imam went on to say they surrounded the van driver to protect him from injury.

No links to extremism

British Security Minister Ben Wallace confirmed that Osborne was not known to authorities for either extremism or far-right extremism, while police are not seeking any further suspects in the incident, which was clearly an attack on Muslims.

Police Commissioner Cressida Dick said additional police officers are patrolling the area, particularly close to Muslim places of worship, in an attempt to reassure the local community and will remain there as long as needed.

As to the victim in the incident, it is reportedly unclear if he died from the attack.

Deputy Assistant Commissioner Neil Basu said in a statement that the victim was in the process of receiving first aid when the van driver struck.

London Mayor Sadiq Khan said in a statement that there will be zero tolerance for hate crimes in London, adding that there will be an increased police presence surrounding mosques in the coming days to protect the worshippers from such hate crimes.

Islamophobia and far-right extremism in the U.K.

Mohammed Shafiq of the U.K. Ramadhan Foundation said there has been a huge increase in Islamophobic attacks in the U.K. following the London Bridge attack. He went on to say that terrorists, whether they are ISIS extremists or from the far right, are two sides of the same coin, saying they both want to divide communities. Shafiq added that the foundation totally rejects the barbaric, evil and violent crimes committed by ISIS terrorists, but that the rampant Islamophobia in U.K. society also urgently needs to be addressed.

Meanwhile, as reported by the Independent, ISIS has spoken up since the Finsbury Park attack to call on its supporters to rise up and take revenge following the incident.

In posts on social media, mention was made of the fact that the police did not shoot Osborne, who they refer to as a Kaafir (non-believer), while the three terrorists in the London Bridge attack were shot dead. The post went on to call on Muslims to wake up, as the war is starting in their own streets.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the coin, white supremacists and far-right extremists headed to Facebook to praise the attacker, calling him a “patriot” and a “hero.” Those posts called on people in the U.K. to start striking back against Muslims.
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