UPDATE: MAN CHARGED WITH TERRORISM – Here’s what we know so far about the London Mosque attack…

Here’s the important details that we know thus far about the London attack at a Mosque last night. I don’t believe the name of the attacker has been released yet:

Via the Telegraph:

  • Police have confirmed they are investigating a terror attack in London after a van ploughed into people near a north London mosque, leaving one person dead and injuring eight others. A 48-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of attempted murder, and two of those hit by the van were said to be “very seriously injured”.
  • Witnesses said the driver had shouted: “I want to kill all Muslims” before onlookers pinned him to the ground. The suspect was protected by a local imam after being pinned down by members of the Muslim community.
  • Police said it was too early to state if the man who died at the scene was killed in the attack. He was being helped when the van ploughed into pedestrians. All of the victims of the attack, including two who are in a critical condition, are from the Muslim community.
  • The suspected attacker, who was arrested on suspicion of attempted murder, waved to the crowd as he was led away. The van involved in the attack is marked with the livery of the hire company, which is based on an industrial estate close to the M4 12 miles west of Cardiff.
  • White supremacists have celebrated the attack, according to the US extremist monitoring group Site. It also said pro-Islamic State channels were using reports of the incident to incite Muslims.

There are seven victims:

The number of people being treated in hospital after the attack now stands at seven, down from eight this morning.

In an update NHS England said: “A total of seven patients are currently being treated in London hospitals. The three hospitals who have received patients are the Royal London, Whittington, and St Mary’s. The London Ambulance Service treated two and discharged at the scene.”

It does not say whether any of the wounded are in critical care. Earlier police said two people were seriously injured.

The attacker was not known to police:

The suspect in the attack was not known to the security services, according to security minister Ben Wallace.

“This man was not known to the authorities in the space of extremism or far-right extremism and he clearly took advantage of a simple weapon, a vehicle, to make an attack on people going about their business,” Wallace told Sky News.

Here’s video of the attacker being pinned down after the attack:

The National Front says they do not know him:

The National Front in Wales has denied any connection with the Finsbury Park attacker, after it emerged the far right terrorist hired the van used in the attack from Pontyclun in south Wales, according to my colleague Robert Booth.

In response to an inquiry from the Guardian, the Welsh regional organiser of the far right party, Adam Lloyd, described him as a “lunatic” but said: “The man in question is not known to any of us here in South Wales National Front, and to our knowledge is not and never has been a member.”

However Lloyd added: “Although we will never condone or accept this kind of violent attacks here in SWNF, anyone with a right mind can see this is not a terrorist attack but a revenge attack.”

It also sounds to me like a retaliatory attack so it doesn’t surprise me that the police were not aware of this guy.

I’ll have more on the attacker once we know who he is and why he did it…

UPDATE:

The attacker has been charged with terrorism:


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