London Mosque Attacker Bags 43 Years Jail Term

London Mosque Attacker Bags 43 Years Jail Term

A 48-year-old man convicted of driving a van into pedestrians near a mosque in north London’s Finsbury Park area was sentenced to a minimum of 43 years in prison on Friday.

London’s Woolwich Crown Court sentenced Darren Osborne, who killed a 51-year-old man and injured nine others in the late-night attack in June, to life imprisonment with a minimum term of 43 years.

Osborne, from the Welsh capital of Cardiff, was convicted of terrorism-related murder and attempted murder, despite his denial of the charges.

Prosecutors and police said he was motivated by a hatred of Muslims and wanted to kill as many people as possible.

“From our investigation, it was clear that Osborne had planned to come to London with the intention of carrying out an attack against the Muslim community,” Metropolitan Police Commander Dean Haydon said.

Sue Hemming, head of counter-terrorism for the Crown Prosecution Service, said prosecutors had been “clear throughout that this was a terrorist attack.”

“Darren Osborne planned and carried out this attack because of his hatred of Muslims,” Hemming said.

“He later invented an unconvincing story to counter the overwhelming weight of evidence, but the jury has convicted him,” she said.

Osborne was initially detained by bystanders after the attack with a hired van near Finsbury Park Mosque as worshippers were leaving late-night prayers.

Makram Ali, a Bangladesh-born local man, died of multiple injuries after his legs were crushed under the van.

He had been sitting on the pavement receiving medical attention when the vehicle ran over him.

(dpa/NAN)