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London attack: One dead after van swerves into worshippers leaving mosque

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London attack: one dead, eight injured

Police have launched a counter-terrorism investigation as a van incident leaves one person dead and eight injured in the north London suburb of Finsbury Park.

One person has died and several have been injured in north London after a white van rammed into worshippers leaving a mosque, in what British police described as a "major incident".

London's Metropolitan Police reported that one man was pronounced dead at the scene.

Officers were informing his next of kin and a post-mortem examination would be scheduled in due course, the police said.

Eight people injured were taken to three separate hospitals; two people were treated at the scene for minor injuries, they said.

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The driver of the van, a man aged 48, was detained by members of public and was arrested.

He has been taken to hospital as a precaution, and will be taken into custody once discharged. He will also be subject of a mental health assessment, the police said.

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The investigation is being carried out by the Counter Terrorism Command, they said.

British Prime Minister Theresa May said police were treating the attack as a potential terrorist attack.

Attack during Ramadan

The Muslim Council of Britain said the van hit people outside Finsbury Park Tube station as they were leaving the Finsbury Park Mosque, one of Britain's largest.

The attack comes during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, when people attend prayers at night.

Police said they were called just after 12.20am to reports of a collision on the busy Seven Sisters Road, which runs through the Finsbury Park area of the city.

They said there were a number of casualties and one person had been arrested.

A man was shown on video being held by police behind a police vehicle.

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London attack: One dead after van hits mosque worshippers

"I'm going to kill all Muslims"

A witness told BuzzFeed News that the suspect screamed: "I'm going to kill all Muslims" before he was tackled to the floor.

Abdulrahman Saleh Alamoudi said he was among a group of people helping an elderly worshipper who had fallen down, perhaps because of the heat, when the van swerved towards them.

"This big van just came and went all over us," he said.

"I think at least eight or 10 people got injured. Luckily I managed to escape. And then the guy came out of his van and I got him.

"He was screaming, he was saying, 'I'm going to kill all Muslims, I'm going to kill all Muslims.' He was throwing punches.

"Then we managed to get him on the floor. Then he was saying, 'Kill me, kill me.'

"I said, 'We are not going to kill you. Why did you do that?'

"He wouldn't say anything."

Mr Salah Alamoudi said eight people were hit and up to three of them were in a "life-threatening" condition.

He said that they had to hold the suspect on the ground for up to half an hour before police arrived.

"The guy, I had to keep him at least half an hour. He was a strong guy. A big man," he said.

"It was heartbreaking. It wasn't an accident."

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Witness Abdikadar Warfa told the London Telegraph that bystanders tried to lift the van off an injured man while others apprehended the driver.

"I saw a man underneath the van. He was bleeding. My friend said he had to lift the van. I was busy with a man who tried to escape.

"My friend said he said some words, but I didn't hear it.

"They [the people who were hit] were mostly young. They are very bad.

"I tried to stop him [the suspect]. Some people were hitting him but I said stop him and keep him until the police came.

"He was trying to run away but people overpowered him. He was fighting to run away."

A woman who lives opposite the scene told the BBC: "From the window, I started hearing a lot of yelling and screeching, a lot of chaos outside.

"Everybody was shouting: 'A van's hit people, a van's hit people.'

"There was this white van stopped outside Finsbury Park Mosque that seemed to have hit people who were coming out after prayers had finished.

"I didn't see the attacker himself, although he seems to have been arrested, but I did see the van."

Potential terrorist attack: May

The Prime Minister said: "Police have confirmed this is being treated as a potential terrorist attack.

"I will chair an emergency meeting later this morning.

"All my thoughts are with the victims, their families and the emergency services on the scene."

Earlier, Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn expressed his shock at what had happened, writing on Twitter: "I'm totally shocked at the incident at Finsbury Park tonight.

"I've been in touch with the mosques, police and Islington council regarding the incident. My thoughts are with those and the community affected by this awful event."

 London Mayor Sadiq Khan has urged people to "remain calm and vigilant".

"We don't yet know the full details, but this was clearly a deliberate attack on innocent Londoners, many of whom were finishing prayers during the holy month of Ramadan," he said.

"While this appears to be an attack on a particular community, like the terrible attacks in Manchester, Westminster and London Bridge, it is also an assault on all our shared values of tolerance, freedom and respect.

"The situation is still unfolding and I urge all Londoners to remain calm and vigilant.

"The Met have deployed extra police to reassure communities, especially those observing Ramadan."

Unconfirmed stabbing

A man leapt out of the van and stabbed at least one person, the Evening Standard newspaper said, citing witnesses.

That report could not be confirmed and police said that, at this stage there were no reports of any persons having suffered any knife injuries.

One witness told CNN it was clear that the attacker at Finsbury Park had targeted Muslims.

"He tried to kill a lot of people so obviously it's a terrorist attack. He targeted Muslims this time," the witness, identified only as Rayan, said.

Other witnesses told Sky television that the van had hit at least 10 people.

Witnesses reported seeing the hire van accelerate and veer off the road into a group of pedestrians standing near the Finsbury Park Mosque.

Screams were heard as the van ploughed into the crowd who were understood to have just finished a prayer meeting.

"Horrible to watch police officers doing cardiac massage at people on the floor, desperately trying to save them. I just hope they did," witness Cynthia Vanzella tweeted.

Ms Vanzella lives in a flat overlooking the road, describing the scene as "really, really ugly".

She told Sky News people often congregate outside the mosque following prayer meetings but gatherings were generally very quiet.

She said she was about to go to sleep when she heard shouting outside and went to her window to look at the chaotic scene unfolding.

The London Telegraph reported bystanders wrestled the van driver to the ground and pinned him down until police arrived.

London Ambulance Service deputy director of operations Kevin Bate released a statement saying the most seriously injured people were the first to be taken to hospital. 

The Australian government's travel advisory service Smart Traveller has warned Australians to avoid the area, which remains sealed off and under police guard.

Tensions high

The incident comes just two weeks after a terrorist attack involving a hire van near London Bridge which killed eight people including two Australians.

Tensions have been running high in Britain following recent deadly attacks in London and Manchester.

Reuters, PA, Rachel Browne, AAP

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