Finsbury Park anniversary: Minute's silence as imam who shielded attacker praised for 'preventing violence'

A minute's silence has been held to mark a year since Makram Ali, a Muslim father-of-six, was killed and others injured in an attack near a mosque in north London.

Most of the victims of the Finsbury Park terror attack had just left night-time Ramadan prayers at the nearby Muslim Welfare House when Darren Osborne, determined to kill as many Muslims as possible, drove a hired van on to a crowded pavement.

Imam Mohammed Mahmoud, who protected Osborne from angry passers-by until police came to arrest him, was among those praised.

To warm applause, Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn said: "Imam Mahmoud did a brilliant and wonderful job of making sure that hatred of racism did not turn into violence and anger on the streets that night.

"He helped to ensure that we came together as a community because that is the only response there can ever be to the racism that seeks to divide us."

Mohammed Mahmoud, Imam at Finsbury Park Mosque speaks on the steps of Islington Town Hall
Mohammed Mahmoud, imam at Finsbury Park Mosque, speaks on the steps of Islington Town Hall Credit: TOLGA AKMEN /AFP

Members of Mr Ali's grieving family were joined by emergency service workers, Metropolitan Police Commissioner Cressida Dick and community leaders.

Also attending the memorial were Labour leader and local Islington North MP Mr Corbyn, and London Mayor Sadiq Khan, who stressed the hate-filled attack had failed to divide the ethnically-diverse community.

Speaking on the steps of Islington Town Hall, Mr Corbyn praised the "absolutely magnificent" immediate response from the local community and emergency services that night.

Politicians and police services outside Islington Town Hall in London after attending a service to mark the one-year anniversary of the Finsbury Park attack
Politicians join members of the emergency services outside Islington Town Hall after attending a service to mark the one-year anniversary of the Finsbury Park attack Credit: Dominic Lipinski /PA

There was a strong uniformed police presence in Upper Street, a usually busy shopping and business hub, which was shut to traffic for the intimate memorial.

Banners which read "United Against Terror", "Turn To Love" and "London United" decorated the memorial scene which was attended by members of the community and local officials.

Makram Ali, a father of six, died after the attack
Makram Ali, a father of six, died after the attack Credit: Metropolitan Police 

Mr Ali was remembered as a much-loved husband, father, grandfather and brother by Mr Khan.

He also stated that Mr Mahmoud's personal actions that night give us all hope.

He said: "It shows our values will always be stronger than the hatred of the extremists."

Darren Osborne
Darren Osborne deliberately mowed down worshippers outside two mosques in Finsbury Park on June 19 last year Credit: Metropolitan Polce/PA

Stating that the Finsbury Park attack was an "attack on all Londoners," Mr Khan said: "Terrorism is terrorism no matter the target and regardless of what motivates the sick and twisted perpetrators who carry out these evil crimes.

"The way this community has responded and come together has inspired us all."

Britain's values will not be broken by 'vile extremism'

Earlier, Theresa May said that Britain's values will not be broken by "vile extremism", a year on from the attack.

Ahead of the event, the Prime Minister said: "Last year's cowardly attack which targeted innocent worshippers leaving Finsbury Park mosque is an attack on all of us.

"As with all acts of terrorism the intention was to divide us but we will not let this happen.

"We are a country of many faiths and freedom of worship and respect for those of different faiths is fundamental to this country's values and these values will never be broken by vile extremism."

Mrs May commended the "bravery and spirit of the community that apprehended the attacker".

She added: "As we remember the victims of this attack, Makram Ali who tragically lost his life, we should take strength that it is London's diversity and multitude of communities that makes it one of the world's great cities."

Video: Moment Darren Osborne ploughed into worshippers

At a gathering earlier in June, Mr Ali's daughter Ruzina Akhtar spoke of her family's gratitude for the support they had received from the community since her father's death.

Ms Akhtar addressed those gathered at a street Iftar on what was the one-year anniversary of the incident according to the lunar calendar observed in the Islamic faith.

She said: "We're very happy to be part of this community and to be in this country with such a loving, diverse community around us. 

"And we would just like to thank everyone for their support and the love that they've shown and hope they continue to do so."

Osborne - described as a jobless loner - had been radicalised by far-right material. He is serving a jail sentence of at least 43 years, after being found guilty in February of murder and attempted murder.

#LondonUnited lights up landmarks in solidarity

The phrase #LondonUnited, which has been used in the wake of other terror attacks last year, was displayed on the Muslim Welfare House on Monday evening and into the early hours of Tuesday.

Victim 'lived without enemies' before life taken 'in cruel way'

Victim Makram Ali left behind a wife, six children and two grandchildren. His two sons are 13 and 14 years old, a court heard as Osborne was jailed in February.

"They will now grow up without the help and support of their father," his daughter Ruzina Akhtar said. "Without his guidance and assistance in life."

Mrs Akhtar's son - Mr Ali's grandson - has also been affected since the attack.

She said: "My son is always asking where his grandad is and why he cannot go to the park every day to play with him any more. This is heartbreaking."

Mrs Akhtar said her father will "never be forgotten", saying: "His laugh will echo the walls of our home and his smile will be reflected in our eyes. His memory will be in our conversation."

He "lived without any enemies" and never hurt or upset anyone, she said.

She added: "His life was taken in a cruel way by a very narrow minded, heartless being."

Mrs Akhtar added : "My mum is scared to go out by herself in case she is attacked because she is visibly a Muslim who wears a headscarf." 

Killer radicalised in weeks after seeing BBC film

On the evening of May 16 last year, Darren Osborne, an unemployed father of four from Cardiff, sat down on his sofa to watch a BBC drama about the Rochdale grooming scandal, reports Crime Correspondent Martin Evans.

Such was his outrage at the events depicted in Three Girls, that he turned to the internet for more information.

Within three weeks, the extreme Right-wing material he found online had radicalised him to such an extent that he deliberately drove a hire van into a group of Muslims, killing one and injuring 12 others.

The speed at which he became brainwashed by inflammatory material he found on social media sites has left counter-terrorism experts deeply concerned and has led to calls for technology giants to do more to remove it.

Darren Osborne police van
Darren Osborne in the back of a police van after his arrest Credit: Metropolitan Police/PA 

Before last summer, Osborne had never been known to express extreme views on religion or race.

A barmaid in his former local pub said: "He was a notorious bad boy, involved in drugs and fighting. People were scared of him. But I don't remember any racism."

Ellis Osborne, 26, his nephew, who is mixed race, also said he had never heard his uncle express extreme views.

But all that changed in early June last year when he began looking at social media and other websites linked to Tommy Robinson, the former leader of the English Defence League, and Jayda Fransen and Paul Golding, the cofounders of Britain First.

When police examined his digital devices in the wake of the attack, they found he had spent hours searching for extremist material, which fuelled his growing hatred for Muslims.

In the weeks before the attack, he followed Mr Robinson and Ms Fransen on Twitter and Facebook and received direct messages from their accounts.

Osborne 'developed warped and twisted view'

Commander Dean Haydon, the head of Scotland Yard's counter-terrorism unit, said that while the BBC drama had proved to be the catalyst, Osborne's rapid radicalisation had clearly been the result of the inflammatory material he had seen online.

Mr Haydon said: "This case demonstrates to me that individuals can be radicalised very quickly, within three or four weeks. We have to look at the role of the internet and radicalisation. It does demonstrate the speed of radicalisation ... it's a concern for us.

"Those around him described how he became obsessed with material that he started looking at online. He was researching high-profile individuals, such as Mr Robinson and Ms Fransen, as well as extreme Right-wing groups that were not proscribed.

"It was clear that, in the space of only a few weeks, he had developed a warped and twisted view, to such a degree that he was prepared to plan and carry out an attack," Mr Haydon said.

"I'm not going to call Tommy Robinson a radicaliser, but there is material out there linked to some of the groups connected to him that quite clearly has been an influence in this case."

He said while much of the "unpalatable" extreme Right-wing material available online was not illegal, social media companies could do more to proactively remove it.

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