London crash: 1 killed, 10 injured after van slams into crowd leaving mosque

A large van struck pedestrians near a London mosque early Monday, killing one man and injuring 10 others in what police are investigating as a potential terrorist attack.

A 48-year-old man who was driving the white vehicle was arrested and taken to a hospital for a mental health evaluation, London’s Metropolitan Police said in a statement. He was not immediately identified.
The crash occurred shortly after midnight as Muslims were leaving the Muslim Welfare House after Ramadan prayers, Sky News reported. Muslim leaders decried the collision as a hate crime and asked the public to stay calm.

Police said eight of the injured were taken to three area hospitals and two suffered minor injuries and were treated at the scene. Eyewitnesses reported seeing police give emergency heart massage to at least one person.
A leader of the Muslim Council of Britain called for extra security at mosques in light of the apparent attack. The group's general secretary, Harun Khan, described the incident as a hate crime against Muslims.
"During the night, ordinary British citizens were set upon while they were going about their lives, completing their night worship," he said. "It appears from eyewitness accounts that the perpetrator was motivated by Islamophobia."

London Mayor Sadiq Khan, the first Muslim to serve in that position, said extra police would be deployed. He called the incident a "horrific terrorist attack."
Video filmed in the immediate aftermath showed a Caucasian man being detained by police. Someone in the crowd yelled to others not to harm the man while he was taken into custody, according to AP.
Stunned yet calm. Injured being treated and statements taken. It's just a Sunday night at home, what the hell is happening?

The chairman of the Finsbury Park Mosque said the van crash that hit worshippers was a "cowardly attack" and urged Muslims going to mosques to be vigilant.
Mohammed Kozbar said the Muslim community is "in shock." He complained that the "mainstream media" was unwilling to call the attack a terrorist incident for many hours.
London police closed the area to normal traffic. A helicopter circled above the area as a large cordon was established to keep motorists and pedestrians away.
Witnesses told British media that the van seemed to have veered off the road and hit people intentionally. Witnesses also said two men jumped out of the van and fled the scene, but police said the suspect was only one man and the investigation is still ongoing.

Mohammed Shafiq of the Ramadhan Foundation, a Muslim organization, said that based on eyewitness reports, it seems to be a "deliberate attack against innocent Muslims."

Prime Minister Theresa May described the crash as a "potential terrorist attack" and said she would chair an emergency security Cabinet session later Monday.
Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn said in a tweet he was shocked by the incident.
She said

her thoughts were with the injured, their loved ones and emergency officials who responded to the incident.
Britain's terrorist alert has been set at "severe," meaning an attack is highly likely.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.