The crash occurred near the Finsbury Park mosque.
The Muslim Council tweeted that worshippers were struck by a van as they were leaving prayers near the Finsbury Park mosque. A vehicle struck pedestrians near a mosque in north London early Monday morn.
Imam Mohammed Mahmoud told reporters Monday that he and "other brothers" were able to prevent onlookers from beating up the suspect and held him until police arrived.
He has also spoken to London Mayor Sadiq Khan and said it was important to make sure the response was "sufficient and co-ordinated" and to provide "reassurance" to the community.
Prime Minister Theresa May has said the Finsbury Park attacker acted alone and condemned the attack as "evil".
The Muslim Council of Britain said this was the "most violent manifestation to date" of recent Islamophobic incidents. He was taken to a hospital as a precaution, where he'll receive a mental health assessment, according to the statement.
In the past three months, mosques across Britain have reported several attacks against worshippers and places of worship.
Metropolitan Police's deputy assistant commissioner, Neil Basu, said that the man who died was already being given first aid by the public on the pavement, before the van drove into the crowd.
In March, a man plowed a rented SUV into pedestrians on London's Westminster Bridge, killing four people before stabbing a police officer to death outside Parliament.
Portugal says 1 of its soldiers killed in Mali terror attack
Commandant Modibo Traore, a spokesman for the Malian special force, said there is believed to be between three ad four assailants. Officials said two people had been killed, including a French-Gabonese citizen and another whose nationality was not yet known.
Eight people were killed and dozens more were injured in the attack, which began shortly before 10pm local time on 3 June.
Asked if the suspected terrorist attack was being treated as seriously as others, he told BBC News on Monday: "I'm treating it absolutely as seriously as any other attack".
May said: "All my thoughts are with the victims, their families and the emergency services on the scene".
"This was an attack on London and all Londoners", Basu said. "So we just run straight away, I see police, ambulance, people lying on the floor, and a van as well", said Al-Sulaman.
Toufik Kacimi, chief executive of the Muslim Welfare House, speaking to Sky News, said the attack clearly targeted Muslims leaving evening prayers during Ramadan.
Britain, especially London, has been on edge over several recent incidents, including last month's terror bombing in Manchester and the recent auto attack and stabbing near London Bridge.
Monday's attack came less than a month after a van crashed into a crowd of pedestrians on London Bridge followed by knifing attacks that left eight people dead and many others injured.
It also follows a suicide bombing at a concert in Manchester in May that killed 22.
Comments