Dutch FM condemns "horrible" attack on London Mosque
Minister Bert Koenders of Foreign Affairs condemned the "horrible attack" on at a mosque in London last night in a statement on Twitter. One person was killed and ten others injured when a delivery van crashed into people leaving a mosque in Finsbury Park, NU.nl reports.
"Horrible attack on mosque attendees in London. I empathize with the victims. Offered condolences to colleague Johnson", Koenders said on his Ministry's Twitter feed.
The attack happened on Seven Sisters Road in Finsbury Park just after midnight. A white delivery van crashed into people in front of the local mosque. Two of the ten people injured are in critical condition. The police are treating this as a terrorist attack "because it has all the features of it", according to the newspaper. The perpetrator's motive is still under investigation, however.
The London police are also investigating whether the person who died was actually killed in the attack. On Monday the police said that the victim was already being treated by emergency services when the attack happened.
The 48-year-old man who drove the van was arrested at the scene shortly after the attack. Bystanders detained him and handed him over to the police when they arrived at the scene. According to eyewitnesses, the man shouted "I'm going to kill all Muslims" before the attack.
The involved mosque released a statement saying that the community has been working for decades to create an atmosphere of peace and tolerance in Finsbury Park. "We condemn every act of hatred and this attempt to tear our great community apart."
This is the third attack in London in a short time, all three involving a vehicle crashing into pedestrians. In March a car crashed into pedestrians on Westminster Bridge, killing four people and injuring 29 others. And earlier this month seven people were killed and 48 others injured when three perpetrators crashed a delivery van into pedestrians on London Bridge and then got out and stabbed people on the street and in nearby pubs.
And in May an explosion in the Manchester Arena during an Ariana Grande concert left 22 people dead. Most of the victims were teenagers attending the concert.
