In an attack British law enforcement are treating as “terrorism,” a 48-year-old white man in London plowed his van into a group Muslim worshipers outside a mosque early Monday, killing one and injuring at least ten others.
Citing witnesses, the Guardian reports that after deliberately targeting pedestrians, the driver “got out of the van and shouted ‘I want to kill Muslims’ before onlookers pinned him to the ground.” The man was held until police arrived and Sky News reports that it was the mosque’s imam who prevented some in the tense and angry crowd from beating the man.
London Mayor Sadiq Khan condemned the violence as “a horrific terrorist attack on innocent people. We don’t yet know the full details, but this was clearly a deliberate attack on innocent Londoners, many of whom were finishing prayers during the holy month of Ramadan.”
Associated Press video:
London has seen an uptick in violent politically-motivated attacks in recent months, including a bombing outside a pop concert in Manchester on May 22 that killed twenty-two people and an attack in London by three Islamic extremists earlier this month in which the perpetrators used both a van and then knives to kill eight people and injure many others.
Though US President Donald Trump was quick to denounce those earlier attacks, on Monday morning — with the targets and victims Muslim and the alleged assailant a white male — the president found better things to do with his Twitter account. Though hours had gone by since the attack, Trump first promoted an appearance by his lawyer on Fox News (that tweet was later deleted) and then he lashed out at Democrats for blocking his agenda.
The Dems want to stop tax cuts, good healthcare and Border Security.Their ObamaCare is dead with 100% increases in P’s. Vote now for Karen H
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 19, 2017
Trump seems to have deleted this tweet plugging his lawyer’s appearance on Fox. pic.twitter.com/DeLX94b8JE
— Kyle Griffin (@kylegriffin1) June 19, 2017
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