Police in London say a van collided with pedestrians outside a mosque late Sunday, killing one person and injuring 10 others. Voice of America reports.
London’s Counter Terrorism Command is leading the investigation into the attack. British Prime Minister Theresa May said authorities are treating it as a potential terrorist attack, and called it a “terrible incident.”
Authorities said officers arrested the 48-year-old driver of the van, who had been detained by members of the public at the scene, and that as of early Monday no other suspects had been identified or reported to police.
The man killed in the attack was pronounced dead at the scene in northern London, and eight of the injured were taken to hospitals.
Harun Khan, secretary general of the Muslim Council of Britain, said that based on accounts from witnesses the driver was “motivated by Islamophobia.”
“Given we are approaching the end of the month of Ramadan and the celebration of Eid with many Muslims going to local mosques, we expect the authorities to increase security outside mosques as a matter of urgency,” Khan said in a statement.
A Metropolitan Police statement said that due to the nature of the attack, “extra policing resources have been deployed in order to reassure communities, especially those observing Ramadan.”
Britain, especially London, has been on edge over several recent incidents, including last month’s terror bombing in Manchester and the recent car attack and stabbing near London Bridge.