19th June, 2017
One person was killed and several injured when a van drove into pedestrians near Finsbury Park Mosque in north London, in the early hours of Monday morning.
London police says it was treating the attack as a terrorist attack.
The Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, condemned the attack, describing it as appalling. ”The appalling attack on Muslims in #FinsburyPark is an attack on us all and the culture and values of our country,” he stated.
In his facebook post, Welby said: ”The freedom to worship without fear is a right we cherish as a nation and was won at great human cost over many years.
The appalling attack on Muslims in Finsbury Park is an attack on us all and on the culture and values of our country.
At a time when we are all grieving the loss of so many precious people in London and Manchester, this brutal attack can only compound the trauma. Violence only begets more violence- it serves only the interests of those who would terrorise others.
This wanton and cruel act can produce no good and cannot be justified or excused. In exactly the same way as previous recent attacks it is a crime against God and against humanity.”
London Mayor Sadiq Khan said an incident in which a man drove a van into worshippers near a London mosque killing one person and injuring 10 was an attack on common values.
“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,” he said in a statement.
Khan said there would be extra police to reassure communities, especially those observing Ramadan.