Finsbury Park: Muslim community raises fears of further attacks

'People are going to be afraid to go out. You’re going about your own business and then all of a sudden you’re attacked and you’re on the floor.'

(AFP/Getty)

Members of the Finsbury Park Muslim community have expressed fears of further attacks after a van was driven into worshippers leaving midnight Ramadan prayers.

The attack took place around 12.20am, with eyewitnesses reporting that the driver drove the white van towards one group of people and then swerved in order to hit another group on the other side of the road.

The timing of the attack left members of the mosque in no doubt that they were deliberately targeted or that the time had been chosen because the attacker knew there would be a large number of Muslims in the area.

One eyewitness, who gave his name as Abdul, told The Independent: "People gather on that part of the street during Ramadan to chat and socialise so it was premeditated. He knew what he was doing.

"He waited until people had come out then drove at the people on the right then swerved to hit people on the left.”

A 47-year-old man, Darren Osborne, has been detained by police, who say they believe the suspect was acting alone.

As crowds gathered outside the mosque to pay their respects to those killed and injured in the attack, Aisha Amir stood next to the police cordon with her friend, Ijeoma Mbanye, holding signs that read “United Against All Terror”. She told The Independent that Muslim people in the area would be scared to leave their homes following the attack.

“Every time they go out people are going to feel they aren’t safe”, she said. “People are going to be afraid to go out. You’re going about your own business and then all of a sudden you’re attacked and you’re on the floor. I am scared but I also think we’re all human and we should all love each other.”

Eight-year-old Abdirahman Muhammed, who lives near the mosque, was speaking alongside his mother, Mona, having heard the attack take place. He said: “I’m really scared. They keep saying he did it deliberately. When I was sleeping I could hear it and I couldn’t even sleep. I kept on opening my eyes and I was scared. I thought there was going to be a big lorry crashing into our house.”

Amina Abdi, 50, who attends a mosque in nearby Hornsey, said she and her friends were “shocked” by the incident.

“It’s confused young men, Islamists, that cause people to do this. But yes, we have been victimised in the press too. It has been treated as if our religion is responsible,” she said.

“We always feel guilty when walking around, as if people suspect us to be terrorists. But really it’s young people, spending their days alone.

“We expected some retaliation [for London terror attacks] but we didn’t know what it would be.

“I’ve been in London for 30 years, and it’s a very safe city, so I’m really saddened by these recent attacks.

Throughout the day political leaders arrived to give their support to the local community. Jeremy Corbyn, whose Islington North constituency the mosque is in, was first to arrive, followed by Sajid Javid, the Communities and Local Government Secretary.

In the afternoon, Theresa May held a meeting at the mosque with community representatives and other leaders including Metropolitan Police Commissioner Cressida Dick and Shadow Home Secretary Diane Abbott while, at the same time, Jeremy Corbyn met with worshippers in a room upstairs.

Mr Corbyn, who as the local MP is well known to the community, received a rapturous round of applause after his speech. Ms May was also praised by some of those present at the meeting, although the Prime Minister was heckled by local residents as she left the building.