A van ploughed into pedestrians near Finsbury Park Mosque in North London. A man has been killed by the collision and 10 people have been injured. Police are treating this as a terrorist attack. A 48-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of murder but police have not named him.

LONDON – The police said the van ploughing into pedestrians near the Finsbury Park Mosque in North London is being treated as a “terrorist attack.” Prime Minister Theresa May will chair an emergency meeting later on Monday.

A man driving a white van mounted a pavement and hit a group of worshippers exiting the mosque just after midnight. The attack has killed one man and injured 10 others, so far. A 48-year-old man has been arrested. The police confirmed at 6:53 a.m. BST (1:53 a.m. ET) that they are not looking for anyone else in connection to the attack.

The Muslim Council of Britain said a van intentionally ran over worshippers as many of the victims are believed to have just left evening prayers at the Muslim Welfare House after breaking the Ramadan fast.

The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, said in a statement:

“My thoughts and prayers are with everyone affected. I am grateful to our emergency services, who responded quickly and have been working on the scene throughout the night.

“I have been in contact with the Met Commissioner and senior officers and am being kept updated on all developments. I have also spoken with community organisations in the area, local MP Jeremy Corbyn and leader of the council Richard Watts.

“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.

“While this appears to be an attack on a particular community, like the terrible attacks in Manchester, Westminster and London Bridge it is also an assault on all our shared values of tolerance, freedom and respect.

“The situation is still unfolding and I urge all Londoners to remain calm and vigilant. Please report anything suspicious to the police, but only call 999 in an emergency.

“The Met have deployed extra police to reassure communities, especially those observing Ramadan.

“For further updates or information please follow the Metropolitan Police on Twitter.”

How the attack unfolded

Just after midnight on Monday, a van went through a bus lane, mounted a pavement and hit a number of people leaving one of London’s biggest mosques, in Finsbury Park, north London. Here, a police forensics officer examines the van believed to be involved in an incident:

Here is a map of where the attack took place:

The worshippers were breaking Ramadan fast and have just finished their prayers in the mosque. A 48-year-old man was arrested at the scene, and according an eyewitness called Khalid Amin that spoke to BBC, the attacker reportedly said: “I want to kill all Muslims.”

The police arrested a 48-year-old at the scene but have yet to release his name. A video has circulated of the arrest, where the police load the man in the van while crowds shout:

Man arrested after people arerun over by a car near Finsbury Park mosque #London #FinsburyParkpic.twitter.com/UBlt73a6uq

— MBGA News ðx¸ðx!¬ðx!§ (@MBGANews) June 19,2017

Man arrested after people arerun over by a car near Finsbury Park mosque #London #FinsburyParkpic.twitter.com/UBlt73a6uq

#London#FinsburyParkpic.twitter.com/UBlt73a6uqJune 19,2017

Sky News reported that the Imam, the leader of the mosque, came out to protect the attacker when the crowd tried hitting him.

Toufik Kacimi, the CEO of the Muslim Welfare Council, called for “calm” and said that the police and Jeremy Corbyn, who is the MP for the constituency, has been very helpful. He said the “guy did what he did deliberately and this is not a mental health issue,” to Sky News. He said an eyewitness told him that the attacker said “I did my bit” after he rammed a van into people on a pavement. He added that this confirms that this was a deliberate attack.

After the attack, men prayed on the pavement near the mosque in Finsbury Park:

Jeremy Corbyn, leader of the Labour Party and the MP for the constituency where the mosque is in, said in an emailed statement:

“I am shocked by this horrific and cruel attack in Finsbury Park, which is being treated as an act of terror. I offer my condolences to the family and friends of the man who has died, and our thoughts are with the people who have been injured, their family and friends.

“As the local MP, I have met with Muslim community leaders at the Muslim Welfare House alongside Islington Council Leader Richard Watts, the council’s Chief Executive Lesley Seary and the Metropolitan Police.

“Richard and I will attend prayers at Finsbury Park mosque later today. I appeal for people and the media to remain calm and respectful of those affected.

“In the meantime, I call on everyone to stand together against those who seek to divide us.”

Britain’s Home Secretary Amber Rudd said:

“My thoughts are with all those affected by the appalling incident at Finsbury Park. I am in contact with the Metropolitan Police who have confirmed it is being investigated by their Counter Terrorism Command.

“Yesterday, like so many others around the country, I took part in the Great Get Together to celebrate the values of Jo Cox. It was powerful and moving to see the community come together in a show of solidarity. We must all continue to stand together, resolute, against all those who try to divide us and spread hate and fear.”

Police clarify misinformation that spread after the attack

After the van hit the crowd in Finsbury Park, there was a number of claims being reported by the media, citing eyewitness reports:

There was more than one attacker. There were knives involved. The emergency services took around an hour to arrive.

For example, this eyewitness was telling Sky News and others that emergency services took nearly an hour to get to the incident and victims and questioned why the emergency response was slow compared to the London Bridge attacks:

All these were confirmed as false, by the police.

Deputy Assistance commissioner Neil Basu said:

There was just one suspect of the attack, who has been arrested, and they are not searching for any other suspects. “There was no one else in the van,” said Basu. The 48-year-old man arrested, was arrested on suspicion of murder. There were no knives involved. The emergency services were at the scene within 10 minutes.

Basu also said that it is too early to tell whether the man who died at the scene was killed in the attack. Apparently the man who was receiving first aid at the time, was ill prior to the incident.

The aftermath

There are still crowds of people gathering in Finsbury Park seeking questions about what happened to their local community:

Others also started paying their respects by laying flowers outside the mosque:

Alex Spurgeon, a Finsbury Park resident, and a friend told Business Insider’s senior report Rob Price at the scene:

“I heard a helicopter very low overhead and a lot of sirens, but didn’t think anything of it as it’s very busy road.

“The next morning the police were outside my front door blocking access to seven sisters road.

“I was at the Muslim Welfare House for the Great Get Together on Saturday, it’s awful like this could happen so soon after such a positive community meeting.”

The central area of Finsbury Park is still filled with crowds, reports BI’s Rob Price. He said that private funeral director’s van arrived at 9 a.m. BST on Monday towards the scene:

Finsbury Park is also a key transportation hub for the tube, buses and trains. Transport for London left the following sign outside the tube station:

The Muslim Association of Britain said in a statement:

“We call on politicians to treat this major incident no less than a terrorist attack. We call on the government to do more to tackle this hateful evil ideology which has spread over these past years and resulted in an increase of islamophobic attacks and division of our society, as well as spreading of hate.”

The association’s president, Dr Omer El-Hamdoon, added: “Our thoughts and prayers are with the victims of this evil attack.,I call on all Muslims to be extra vigilant following these hateful Islamophobic attacks, and to be cautious.”

This is a developing story …