Vehicle hits people near London mosque, causing casualties

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British police officers are on the scene in Seven Sisters Road in London after receiving reports of a vehicle in collision with pedestrians late Sunday.

"Over the past weeks and months, Muslims have endured many incidents of Islamophobia, and this is the most violent manifestation to date", said Harun Khan, Secretary General of the Muslim Council of Britain. Authorities arrested him in connection with the incident. It was not immediately clear if there was a motive for the incident.

British Prime Minister Theresa May described the situation as a "terrible incident", the Guardian said.

Using his Twitter account, London Mayor Sadiq Khan said "this was clearly a deliberate attack".

Police have said the crash caused several casualties and that one person has been arrested.

The Muslim Council of Britain (MCB), an umbrella body, said on Twitter, "We have been informed that a van has run over worshippers as they left #FinsburyPark Mosque".

It was unclear if multiple people were in the vehicle.

A witnesses told Sky News that at least ten people were hit by the van.

Eye witnesses reported that a white van did indeed collide into pedestrians, though it's now unclear whether or not the driver did it purposefully or lost control. They are continuing to investigate.

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One man has died and eight people have been taken to hospital after a van was driven into pedestrians near a north London mosque.

The mosque is near Seven Sisters Road, where the accident happened, and was once a notorious hub for radical Islamists but has entirely changed under new management.

Al-Masri, who was the mosque's imam from 1997 to 2003, was later extradited to the United States, where he was convicted of supporting al Qaeda and Taliban terrorists, and sentenced to life in prison in 2015.

People gather outside a mosque after a van ploughed through a crowd of worshippers. Around 10% of the borough's population is Muslim.

Witnesses say a van drove into a crowd on their way home from a prayer at a mosque near Finsbury Park. "Thank God I just moved to the side, I just jumped", the witness added. Vanzella said she went to the window and saw "loads of people gathering" in a corner across the road from her window.

"They were very nervous, shouting very loud, trying desperately to make some signs to a police auto that was. just passing the road", she told CNN. People are reporting of several injured, some fatalities.

The incident comes after two deadly Islamist-inspired attacks this year that used vehicles to ram pedestrians - a stabbing spree earlier this month in the London Bridge area and a March attack in which a man drove a rented auto into crowds on Westminster Bridge. Eight people were killed and dozens were wounded before police fatally shot the three attackers.

Manchester was also recently hit by a devastating attack when a bomber killed more than 20 people at an Ariana Grande concert.

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