Van driver charged with murder over Finsbury Park terror attack

A van driver held over the Finsbury Park terror attack will appear in court today charged with murder and attempted murder.

Darren Osborne, 47, was arrested by Metropolitan Police shortly after the incident, outside a north London mosque in the early hours of Monday.

One man died and nine other people were taken to hospital after the van crashed into the area, which was busy with worshippers attending Ramadan night prayers at the nearby mosque.

A Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) spokesman said: "Today, the CPS authorised the Metropolitan Police to charge Darren Osborne with terrorism related murder and attempted murder following the incident in Finsbury Park in the early hours of Monday 19 June."

Osborne, from Cardiff, has been remanded in custody to appear at Westminster Magistrates' Court in London.

Makram Ali, 51, from Haringey, died from "multiple injuries" following the attack outside the mosque, a post-mortem examination revealed.

Witnesses at the scene said he appeared to suffer a medical episode in the moments before the attack happened.

Mr Ali, a father-of-six and grandfather-of-two, came to the UK from Bangladesh when he was 10 years old and was said to be a well-known face around Finsbury Park through his regular attendance at worship.

A statement from Mr Ali's family read: "We are devastated by the loss of a husband, father, brother and grandfather, Makram Ali, in this tragic event.

"Our father was a quiet, gentle man. He didn't get involved in political or social discussion; he instead took comfort and enjoyment spending time with his wife, children and grandchildren, and he was always ready to make a funny joke when you least expected.

"We wish everyone to know what a loving man he was. He spent his whole life without any enemies, choosing a quiet life instead.

"We as a family have always believed that the actions of one person cannot be a reflection of a whole people and I have no doubt that our father would not wish for there to be any retaliation or recriminations and would urge people to remain calm and to pray for peace in these difficult times."

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