London van rams worshippers at mosque, authorities investigating attack as terrorism

In London, an attacker drove a van into pedestrians outside a mosque in London, killing one person and injuring ten or more others.

An armed police officer attends to the scene after a vehicle collided with pedestrians in the Finsbury Park neighborhood of North London, Britain June 19, 2017. REUTERS/Neil Hall

A 48-year-old man has been arrested, and is believed to have driven the attack vehicle alone. Witnesses told CNN they saw three people exit the vehicle, two of whom fled.

A man prays after a vehicle collided with pedestrians near a mosque in the Finsbury Park neighborhood of North London, Britain June 19, 2017. REUTERS/Neil Hall

CNN

UK authorities say they are treating an early morning attack as a possible act of terrorism, "amid fears of retaliation for several recent assaults in the country attributed to Islamist extremists," reports the New York Times:

Shortly after midnight, a van rammed into a group of pedestrians near the Finsbury Park Mosque, in North London. One person died at the scene and at least 10 were wounded, but the authorities said it was not immediately clear if the attack was responsible for the man's death.

The assault, which the police said was carried out by a 48-year-old white man who was believed to be acting alone, drew condemnation from a broad array of political and religious figures and came at what Prime Minister Theresa May acknowledged was "a difficult time in the life of the city."

Some Muslims and others were asking whether the authorities and the news media were quick enough to describe the assault on Monday as an act of terrorism — although Mrs. May said the attack had been declared terrorism within eight minutes.

PHOTO, TOP: Eight pedestrians were taken to three separate hospitals, and two were treated at the scene for minor injuries, the police said. Credit Thomas Van Hulle, via Reuters