Van Plows into Crowd Near London Mosques

On Monday, June 19, a driver struck his van into a group of Muslims near two London mosques as they were leaving their nighttime prayers—authorities say that the man was not observed by security watch lists.  As London experienced its third terrorist attack this day, the rest of Britain was shaken by the events that occurred this year, specifically during this summer.  These events include but are not limited to: The Manchester bombing on May 22, the Grenfell Tower fire on June 14, and now this deliberate attack on Muslims.

Such attacks in London have become similar to one another, each using a vehicle as a form of weaponry.  This particular attack outside the mosques shows that the perpetrator is specifically targeting Muslims and not a mixed crowd.

From the attack, ten people were injured and one man was killed at the scene.  It is reported that, “he was receiving first aid before the van struck the worshipers, and it was unclear if he died as a result of the attack.”  Those who witnessed the incident say that the driver shouted that he wanted to kill Muslims after he was subdued.

Authorities have not yet released the name or background of this driver, but the incident has sparked mass hysteria throughout the city.  Many Muslims in particular fear backlash and retaliation because of the past events

Security minister Ben Wallace of Britain’s Home Office says, “This man was not known to authorities in the space of extremism or far-right extremism.  He clearly took advantage of a simple weapon, I’m afraid, a vehicle, to make an attack on people going about their business.”  The attack happened as the group of Muslims concluded their prayers for the holy month of Ramadan—as a result, the attack occurred outside the Muslim Welfare Society and the Finsbury Park Mosque.

Abdulrahman Aidroos, a man at the scene, said that he and his friends attended to an elderly man who fell to the ground when the van began to drive “straight into us.”  As the driver dove out of the vehicle before it struck, he began to flee until Aidroos subdued him on the ground.  Aidroos adds, “I tackled him on the floor until the police came.  When he was running, he said, ‘I want to kill more people.  I want to kill more Muslims.’”

Security general Harun Khan of the Muslim Council of Britain notes that, “Over the past weeks and months, Muslims have endured many incidents of Islamophobia, and this is the most violent manifestation to date.”  His words do not only speak for his own behalf, but also as a larger voice for the rest of the Muslim community in London.

Prime Minister Theresa May, who has been hammered by chaos on home-soil in the most recent months, has worked to ease tensions and outrage on the streets of London.  Describing the attack as “every bit… sickening,” she voices for the future that, “Hatred and evil of this kind will never succeed.”

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