Terrorism charges filed in London mosque van attack

Forensics experts stand next to a van used to plow into pedestrians near Finsbury Park in north London on Monday. A 47-year-old man was charged with terrorism-related murder after one person was killed and 11 others injured. Photo by Facundo Arrizabalaga/EPA

June 24 (UPI) — Prosecutors charged a British man with terrorism-related murder and attempted murder after they said he drove a van into a group of Muslims near a mosque early Monday.

Police said Darren Osborne, 47, was driving a van that intentionally hopped a curb and plowed into a crowd of Muslims just after midnight on Monday. One man was killed and 11 others were injured. Two remain in critical condition, The Guardian reported.

Prime Minister Theresa May said British prosecutors are treating the incident as a terrorist attack — the fourth such incident in the country since March.

Police said the victim, Makram Ali, 51, had previously collapsed on the sidewalk near the mosque and was receiving first aid when the van attack happened. Paramedics who arrived at the scene were unable to revive him. Ali, an immigrant from Bangladesh and father of six, died of “multiple injuries,” according to Sky News.

“Today, the [Crown Prosecution Service] authorized the Metropolitan Police to charge Darren Osborne with terrorism-related murder and attempted murder following the incident in Finsbury Park in the early hours of Monday, June 19. He will appear at Westminster magistrates court [on Friday] in relation to these charges,” prosecutors said in a statement.

LEAVE A REPLY

Please enter your comment!
Please enter your name here