UNITED KINGDOM: Van Rams Pedestrians Near London Mosque Killing One, Injuryiing Eight

British police say all victims in incident near London mosque were Muslim, as British PM calls it potential terrorist attack.

A van ploughed into pedestrians near a London mosque in early Monday, killing one man and injuring eight other people in what Prime Minister Theresa May said was "a potential terrorist attack".

The 48-year-old driver of the van was detained by members of the public and then arrested by police.

All the victims were from the Muslim community, counter-terrorism police co-ordinator Neil Basu said, adding that the man who died was already receiving first aid before the incident.

Muslim leaders said worshippers were specifically targeted after leaving prayers near Finsbury Park mosque in north London shortly after midnight and linked the incident to a recent rise in anti-Muslim hate crime.

Witness Abdiqadir Warra said the van drove at people and some of the victims were carried for several metres along the road.

London Mayor Sadiq Khan said it was a horrific terrorist attack, calling it deliberate and aimed at innocent Londoners, many of whom were finishing prayers during the holy month of Ramadan.

May was due to hold an emergency ministerial meeting later on Monday to discuss the attack.

It comes after two deadly Islamist attacks this year that used vehicles to ram pedestrians -- one earlier this month in the London Bridge area and a March attack in which a man drove a car into crowds on Westminster Bridge.

One witness, Abdul Rahman, said he saw the van "deliberately run over about 10 or 15 people".

Rahman said he and another man wrestled the suspect to the ground and held him down for 20 to 30 minutes before police arrived.

A police statement said One man was pronounced dead at the scene. Eight people injured were taken to three separate hospitals.

Two other people were treated at the scene for light injuries. Police said the male driver had also been taken to hospital as a precaution and would receive a mental health assessment.

Amateur video footage showed at least three people lying on the ground, including one who was receiving mouth-to-mouth resuscitation.

Due to the nature of this incident, extra policing resources have been deployed in order to reassure communities, especially those observing Ramadan, the police statement said.

The Muslim Council of Britain (MCB), an umbrella body for British Muslims, said the incident occurred outside the Muslim Welfare House on Seven Sisters Road, near the Finsbury Park mosque.

Over the past weeks and months, Muslims have endured many incidents of Islamophobia and this is the most violent manifestation to date, MCB head Harun Khan said.

A helicopter hovering overhead and several emergency vehicles blocking a section of Seven Sisters Road, a busy thoroughfare.

Police, including armed officers, could be seen manning a wide cordon around the area. Others searched the area with sniffer dogs.

A group of Muslim men were praying on the pavement nearby. Traffic was shut down along a one-kilometre section of the road.

Finsbury Park mosque was once a notorious hub for radical Islamists but has entirely changed in recent years under new management.

Its former imam Abu Hamza was jailed for life in New York on terrorism charges in 2015.

He preached there from 1997 to 2003 before being jailed for inciting violence. He was later extradited to the United States.

In 2015, the mosque was one of around 20 that took part in an open day organised by the MCB to promote better understanding of Islam following Islamist-inspired terrorist attacks in Paris.

Despite the change in leadership and a new focus on inter-faith relations, the mosque reported it had received a string of threatening emails and letters in the wake of the terror attacks in Paris.

Monday's incident in London follows an Islamist-inspired attack on June 3 in which three militants wearing fake suicide vests ran over pedestrians and went on a stabbing spree in bars in the London Bridge area.

They killed eight people before being shot dead by police.

London Mayor Khan said following that attack that there had been a 40-percent increase in racist incidents in the city and a five fold increase in the number of anti-Muslim incidents.

On his Facebook page, Khan at the time called on Londoners to pull together, and send a clear message around the world that our city will never be divided by these hideous individuals who seek to harm us and destroy our way of life.

Britain has seen two other attacks this year.

On March 22, a man drove a rented car into pedestrians on Westminster Bridge in London and stabbed a police officer guarding the British parliament to death before being shot dead.

Five people were killed in the attack.

On May 22, a suicide bomber blew himself up outside a pop concert in Manchester, killing 22 people.

UNITED KINGDOM: Is London Safe? 7 Killed 48 Injured After Car And Knife Attacks

At least seven people have been killed in the UK capital after a van ploughed into pedestrians on London Bridge and attackers went on a stabbing spree in the nearby Borough Market area before being shot dead by police.

Another 48 people were also wounded in the attack late on Saturday, which occurred in a busy area with many restaurants and pubs.

It has now been confirmed sadly that seven members of the public have died.

In addition, as you know, we believe, three suspects are dead," London Metropolitan Police chief Cressida Dick said in a televised statement on Sunday.

Two French nationals were among those injured in the London attack, the French president's office said in a statement. Australia said two of its citizens were caught up in the attack and that one was in hospital.

The suspects were wearing what appeared to be suicide vests, but police said they were later established to be fake.

Witnesses saw a white van ram into pedestrians, hitting several people before coming to a halt.

Another witness said three men got out with long blades and randomly started stabbing people along Borough High Street.

Other witnesses have also mentioned seeing knife victims, he said.

Police said in a statement that officers responded to reports of a vehicle in collision with pedestrians on London Bridge and then to reports of stabbings in Borough Market.

Police ruled a third incident, a stabbing in London's Vauxhall area initially thought to be linked to the other two scenes to be unrelated.

One of the men suspected of being involved in the attack was shown in a photograph lying on the ground with canisters strapped to his body after he was shot by the police.

The possible attacker was shown on the ground outside the Wheatsheaf pub in Borough Market near London Bridge.

Another man was seen lying on the ground a short distance away in the photograph.

There is a huge police presence. Emergency services are all over the place.

London Mayor Sadiq Khan described the incidents as a deliberate and cowardly attack on innocent Londoners.

Paramedics had those injured on their sides. It was a bloody scene.

Some were injured about 50 metres behind the van, some were injured about 10 metres from where the van stopped.

Prime Minister Theresa May's office said she was in contact with officials and is being regularly updated on the incident at London Bridge.

May's office said she would chair a meeting of the government's COBRA emergency committee on Sunday.

Max Abrahms, an assistant political science professor at Northeastern University, said it is clear we are dealing with a coordinated attack in two close-by locations, in very public areas.

London's transport authority said London Bridge railway station had been closed at the request of the police.

Three major London hospitals were placed on lockdown shortly after the attack.

Due to the ongoing incident in central London, Guy's, St Thomas' & Evelina London are on lockdown to keep patients, relatives and staff safe,the authority that runs the hospitals said on Twitter.

The attack came days ahead of a June 8 general election, almost two weeks after 22 people were killed in a bombing at a concert in Manchester.

After that attack, Britain's official threat level was raised to "critical", meaning an attack may be imminent. Several days later it was lowered to "severe", meaning an attack is highly likely.

In March, an attacker ran people down with a vehicle on Westminster Bridge, killing four before stabbing a policeman to death outside Parliament.

World leaders quickly took to social media to offer their support to the people of London.

Faced with this new tragedy, France is now more than ever supporting the UK. My thoughts are with the victims and their loved ones, tweeted French President Emmanuel Macron.

Australia's foreign minister described the incidents as a "shocking".

US President Donald Trump also tweeted in connection with the London attacks: “We are with you. God Bless”.

He pledged support for the UK, but also used attacks to argue in favour of his controversial travel ban.