A man who used to live in Weston-super-Mare allegedly decided to ‘take matters into his own hands’ and kill a Muslim worshipper after growing angry at a rise in terrorism in the UK, a court has heard.
Darren Osborne, aged 48, allegedly mowed down Makram Ali, 51, and nine other people on a crowded pavement outside two mosques in Finsbury Park, north London, shortly after 12.15am on June 19 last year.
Osborne denies murdering Mr Ali and attempting to murder pedestrians. His trial at Woolwich Crown Court began this morning (Monday).
Prosecutor Jonathan Rees QC however said the defendant had ‘tried to kill as many of the group as possible’.
He said: “In the event, he killed one person, a 51-year-old man called Makram Ali, and in addition he injured many others, some of them seriously.
“To seek to kill someone merely because of their religion is a terrible thing.
“And what makes this act particularly horrific is that the group he drove into had gathered in the street in order to help Makram Ali, the deceased, who had collapsed as he walked along Seven Sisters Road a couple of minutes before the defendant carried out his attack.”
Osborne, who moved to Glyn Rhosyn in Cardiff from Weston, is said to have driven a van from the Welsh capital to London the day before the attack.
A handwritten note was found in the cab of the van within hours of the attack, which complained about terrorists on the streets and the Rotherham child exploitation scandal, Mr Rees said.
The note, which branded Labour’s Jeremy Corbyn a ‘terrorist sympathiser’ and attacked London Mayor Sadiq Khan, included the comments: “This is happening up and down our green and pleasant land.
“Ferral [sic] inbred, raping Muslim men, hunting in packs, preying on our children.
“Get back to the desert you raping inbred b******s and climb back onto your camels.”
Mr Rees said the note made clear Osborne felt not enough was being done to prevent terrorism.
He added: “Against that background, the defendant decided to take matters into his own hands.
“He planned to make a public statement by killing Muslims, knowing that his handwritten note would be recovered by the authorities.
“Although there is no terrorist offence to consider in this case, the prosecution says that the note and the comments he made after his detention establish that this act of extreme violence was, indeed, an act of terrorism.
“That was the motivation behind it, designed to influence government and intimidate the Muslim community, and done for the purpose of advancing a political, religious, ideological or racial cause.”
The trial continues.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here