Finsbury Park attack as it happened: Theresa May booed as she leaves mosque after paying respects to victims
Police: 'London is a city of many faiths and many nationalities. An attack on one community is an attack on all of us'
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Your support makes all the difference.One person has died and eight people have been taken to hospital after being hit by a van in a "potential terror attack" near a north London mosque.
The van driver, described by eyewitnesses as a large white man, was detained by members of the public after the attack in Seven Sisters Road at 12.20am on Monday.
One witness described being surrounded by bodies in the wake of the attack outside the Muslim Welfare House, close to Finsbury Park mosque.
Eyewitnesses said the attacker shouted about killing Muslims as he was held by local people.
Sadiq Khan, the Mayor of London, said it was an attack on common values.
"Like the terrible attacks in Manchester, Westminster and London Bridge it is also an assault on all our shared values of tolerance, freedom and respect," he said in a statement.
Prime Minister Theresa May said: "Police have confirmed this is being treated as a potential terrorist attack.
"I will chair an emergency meeting later this morning.
"All my thoughts are with the victims, their families and the emergency services on the scene."
The Metropolitan Police said in a statement: "One man was pronounced dead at the scene.
"Officers are in the process of informing next of kin. A post mortem examination will be scheduled due course.
"Eight people injured were taken to three separate hospitals; two people were treated at the scene for minor injuries."
Commenting on reports that the van driver also produced a knife, the statement went on: "At this stage there are no reports of any persons having suffered any knife injuries.
"The driver of the van - a man aged 48 - was found detained by members of public at the scene and then arrested by police in connection with the incident.
"He has been taken to hospital as a precaution and will be taken into custody once discharged.
"He will also be subject of a mental health assessment in due course."
The force said the investigation of the incident is being carried out by the Counter Terrorism Command.
Good morning, welcome to our live coverage of the aftermath of the Finsbury Park attack in north London.
It is being treated as a "potential terror attack".
The van driver, described by eyewitnesses as a large white man, was detained by members of the public after the attack in Seven Sisters Road at 12.20am.
One witness described being surrounded by bodies in the wake of the attack outside the Muslim Welfare House, close to Finsbury Park mosque.
Another said the attacker shouted about killing Muslims as he was held by local people.
The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, urged people to "remain calm and vigilant" and denounced the attack as "an assault on our shared values of tolerance, freedom and respect."
He said: "We don't yet know the full details, but this was clearly a deliberate attack on innocent Londoners, many of whom were finishing prayers during the holy month of Ramadan.
"While this appears to be an attack on a particular community, like the terrible attacks in Manchester, Westminster and London Bridge it is also an assault on all our shared values of tolerance, freedom and respect.
"The situation is still unfolding and I urge all Londoners to remain calm and vigilant. Please report anything suspicious to the police, but only call 999 in an emergency.
"The Met have deployed extra police to reassure communities, especially those observing Ramadan."
Here's a round up of what we know so far from the Press Association:
:: Police were called just after 12.20am on Monday to reports of a vehicle striking pedestrians in Seven Sisters Road.
:: The Metropolitan Police said one man died following the incident.
:: A further eight people injured were taken to three separate hospitals, while two people were treated at the scene for minor injuries.
:: A 48-year-old man was detained by members of public at the scene and then arrested by police in connection with the incident.
:: Witnesses said the van struck pedestrians who were tending to an elderly man who had collapsed.
:: Police said no other suspects at the scene have been identified or reported to police.
:: The investigation of the incident is being carried out by the Counter Terrorism Command.
:: The Muslim Council of Britain said the van intentionally ran over worshippers, and it called for extra security around mosques.
Muhbeen Hussain, founder of British Muslim Youth, said: "We strongly condemn this horrendous suspected terrorist attack and pray for the innocent victims and their families that have been affected by this incident.
"I have personally visited the scene of the attack and spoke to many eyewitnesses, many of whom were quite emotional after witnessing a murder and seeing many people being injured.
"There were also high emotions as many witnesses saw this as a deliberate attack on Muslims.
"Other reports even suggest that the individual that has now been arrested for the incident was taken under citizen arrest by many of the Muslim worshippers at the scene and handed over to the police.
"I have also heard that this individual was shouting, 'I want to kill all Muslims'.
"In less than a month, we have witnessed horrific attacks in Manchester, London Bridge, Borough Markets, a tragedy at Grenfell Tower and now this horrific attack.
"We as communities stood united in all of these difficult times and we must come together once more.
"I also urge anyone that has further information to speak to the police, so they have as much information as possible to deal with the on-going investigation."
Emmanuel Macron, the French President, has tweeted: "Thoughts for London and victims after this new ordeal."
The driver of a white van that ploughed into pedestrians, leaving one man dead and eight people injured, was pinned to the ground by onlookers after saying: "I want to kill Muslims," a witness has said.
One witness, who wanted to be identified as Abdulrahman, which is not his real name, said he and his friends had stopped to help an elderly man who was lying on the floor at around 12.20am on Monday.
"In seconds this terrible thing happened,"' he told the Press Association.
"Literally within a minute, a van with speed turned to where we were and ran over the man who was laying on the floor and the people around him, around eight people or 10 people got injured, some of them seriously. Thank God I'm safe, but my friends got injured."
The van driver, described by witnesses as a large white man, was detained by members of the public after the attack in Seven Sisters Road.
Abdulrahman said: "I managed to get the driver of the van when he came out of his van.
"He wanted to run away and was saying, 'I want to kill Muslims'. So he came back to the main road and I managed to get him to the ground and me and some other guys managed to hold him until the police arrived, for about 20 minutes I think, until the police arrived.
"People were very upset, people were shouting, people were saying, 'where's the police, where's the ambulance?' People were saying, 'keep him on the ground', people were asking questions, saying 'why did you do this?' People were laying down on the floor."
Abdulrahman claimed the driver said "kill me", as he was holding his head on the ground.
He added: "I said, 'tell me why did you try driving to kill innocent people?' When he went into the [police] van he made gestures, he was laughing.
"He deliberately did this. He caused this incident."
Abdulrahman said he believed the old man, who had been lying on the ground before the attack, had passed away, while some of his friends remain in hospital.
Our reporter Katie Forster is at Finsbury Park.
She has just spoken to an eyewitness, Saide Ottman, 27, who told her: "I was at the mosque - I go every night during ramadan - and I was leaving when I heard people screaming.
"At first, I thought it was an accident or a fight had broken out. Then I saw about 10 people holding a man back.
"I didn't know him, or the man lying on the ground. Everyone told me he had clapped after the attack and seemed proud of what he'd done, and said 'yes, I did it'.
"I haven't slept yet. I'm fasting. This is racism. I haven't ever experienced racism in London before, this is the first time. I'm scared, we're all scared, but I'm going back to the mosque tonight."
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