Imam stops angry Muslims assailing London van suspect

An imam who protected a man suspected of attacking Muslims outside Finsbury Park Mosque from angry members of the public has described how he stopped 'kicks and punches' that were coming from 'every angle'

Mohammed Mahmoud, the imam of the Muslim Welfare House, speaks to journalists about the van that driven was driven at Muslims in Finsbury Park, North London
Mohammed Mahmoud, the imam of the Muslim Welfare House, speaks to journalists about the van that driven was driven at Muslims in Finsbury Park, North London

An imam intervened to stop local residents from beating a man accused of driving into people on Monday outside a London mosque after Ramadan prayers.

Mohammed Mahmoud was one of the first on the scene of the attack and intervened to save the suspect from a crowd that had formed. One official said "his bravery and courage" potentially saved the man's life.

The suspect was yanked from the cab of his van by a furious crowd as he sought to reverse and escape after injuring 10 people in what police said was a deliberate attack on Muslims that was being treated as terrorism.

The man was being held down, beaten and kicked when Mahmoud stepped in to plead with people just to restrain him until police arrived.

"We found that a group of people quickly started to collect around him, around the assailant and some tried to hit him either with kicks or punches. By God's grace we managed to surround him and to protect him from any harm," Mahmoud said.

"We managed to extinguish any flames of anger or mob rule that might have taken charge," he told reporters, adding he was acting with "a group of mature brothers".

He also spoke about the “demonisation” of the Muslim community and warned that people with “ulterior motives wished to divide this great country and this great city”.

“It was touching our non-Muslim neighbours woke us up this morning to give us their support,” he said. “It is proof that the fabric of this society is not torn, but that we have to continue to keep the fabric of society, and this community of London, intact.”

The suspect, named as Darren Osborne, had been shouting earlier "I've done my bit" and “you deserve it”, according to Toufik Kacimi, the chief executive of the nearby Muslim Welfare House community centre, who praised the imam's courage.

"(The imam's) bravery and courage helped calm the immediate situation after the incident and prevented further injuries and potential loss of life," he said.

If confirmed by authorities as terrorism, this would be the fourth such attack in Britain since March and the third to involve a vehicle driven at pedestrians.

The suspect was described by police as a 48-year-old white man, who was taken into custody.