Finsbury Park mosque attack: Suspect shouted 'kill me, kill me' and 'blew kisses from back of police van'

The suspect blows a kiss from the back of the police van
Samira/Twitter
WEST END FINAL

Get our award-winning daily news email featuring exclusive stories, opinion and expert analysis

I would like to be emailed about offers, event and updates from Evening Standard. Read our privacy notice.

Witnesses have told how a suspect shouted “kill me, kill me” and blew kisses from the back of a police van after he was pinned to the ground following an attack on worshippers near Finsbury Park mosque.

The suspect – a 48-year-old man – was tackled to the floor and detained by onlookers at the scene of the attack near to the north London mosque in the early hours of Monday.

Witnesses told the Standard the suspect shouted “kill me, kill me” as he was pinned down by onlookers before being arrested by police.

Finsbury Park attack: The scene at Seven Sisters Road where a van believed to be involved mounted the pavement ()
Jeremy Selwyn

Others said they heard “screaming and shouting” and saw a crowd of people being “flattened” by the van.

One witness Sami Ali said: “There was an elderly woman and a guy trapped under the car, everyone was just trying to help them.

"They grabbed the man and held him on the ground - he was shouting 'I did it I did it' and then 'kill me kill me' but they just held him down.

"And then when he got taken in the police van he was smiling and laughing."

A Finsbury Park local, who was breaking his fast at a cafe on Tollington Park Road at the time of the incident, said: "As he was held in a headlock he shouted 'kill me kill me, I've done my job."

Forensic investigators at the scene in Finsbury Park
PA

Another man, who did not wish to be named, was leaving the mosque when he saw the attack happen.

"I heard screaming and shouting. There was a lot of bodies on the ground, I saw a lot of people being flattened," he said.

"The guy that was killed was being given CPR on the side of the road before the ambulance arrived.

Police officers assist the injured at the scene
James Gourley/Rex Features

"And a friend of mine has been rushed to hospital with a suspected broken back and paralysis."

The worshipper told the Standard the man who was killed was a member of the area’s Muslim community.

"I saw him indicate left, as though he was going to take the next road left, and the traffic gave way to him," he said.

Finsbury Park attack June 19

1/25

"Then he mounted the pavement and just started driving into everybody.

A local who said he was a close friend of a man who held the suspect down said: "He jumped out the van and was running around in circles because he didn't know where to go.

"Then my friend held him down and he was shouting 'kill me, I've done my job'."

Shock: Local people observe prayers at Finsbury Park (Yui Mok/PA Wire)
Yui Mok/PA

He added that the suspect, who was held down in a headlock as witnesses waited for emergency services to arrive, was "blowing kisses" from the police van as he was being taken away.

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.

He told BuzzFeed News: "This big van just came and went all over us. 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."

Another witness, Abdikadar Warfa, said he helped to detain the suspect while his friends helped victims.

"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," he said.

"They [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."

Mr Salah Alamoudi said he had also helped 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.”

Scotland Yard said counter-terrorism officers are investigating the attack and that one man was pronounced dead at the scene. Eight of the injured people were taken to hospital, while two were treated at the scene for minor injuries.

The victims are believed to be Muslims who had been breaking fast at a cafe next to the mosque following late-night prayers observed during the Islamic holy month of Ramadan.

Prime Minister Theresa May said it was being treated as "a potential terrorist attack" and that she would hold a Cobra committee emergency meeting later on Monday.

In a statement released shortly after 6am, London Mayor Sadiq Khan condemned the incident as a “horrific terrorist attack” and said extra police would be deployed to protect the capital’s Muslim communities observing Ramadan.

Any witnesses, or anyone with any information, can contact police via 101, or via Twitter @MetCC. To give information anonymously call Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111 or visit crimestoppers-uk.org.

Create a FREE account to continue reading

eros

Registration is a free and easy way to support our journalism.

Join our community where you can: comment on stories; sign up to newsletters; enter competitions and access content on our app.

Your email address

Must be at least 6 characters, include an upper and lower case character and a number

You must be at least 18 years old to create an account

* Required fields

Already have an account? SIGN IN

By clicking Create Account you confirm that your data has been entered correctly and you have read and agree to our Terms of use , Cookie policy and Privacy policy .

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged in