Finsbury park mosque pays tribute to victim of Islamophobic terrorist attack on anniversary

A north London mosque is paying tribute to a victim of an Islamophobic terrorist attack - that occurred outside its grounds - on the fifth anniversary of the offence.

Finsbury Park mosque is set to hold a service on Sunday in memory of father-of-six Makram Ali, who was killed when far-right extremist Darren Osborne ploughed his van into a crowd outside of the place of worship on 19 June 2017, the mosque told The New Arab.

The attack - which also left 12 people injured - occurred during the holy Islamic month of Ramadan.

“He was just a very lively happy bubbly person, I don’t know anyone like him,” Ali's daughter Ruzina Akhtar told the BBC in an interview published on Sunday.

The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, also marked the anniversary of the tragic act, stating "London will always stand against hate".

On the anniversary of the Finsbury Park terror attack, we remember Makram Ali, who tragically lost his life, & all those injured.

This senseless attack was an assault on our shared values of freedom & respect. London will always stand united against hate. https://t.co/PR68j6Gvsa

— Sadiq Khan (@SadiqKhan) June 19, 2022

“On the anniversary of the Finsbury Park terror attack, we remember Makram Ali, who tragically lost his life, & all those injured... this senseless attack was an assault on our shared values of freedom & respect” Khan tweeted.

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson also shared that his "thoughts are with the family of Makram Ali and those affected by the... cowardly act of terrorism", in a tweet on Sunday.

5 years on from this cowardly act of terrorism my thoughts are with the family of Makram Ali and those affected by the Finsbury Park Mosque attack.

Freedom of worship and tolerance for different faiths is fundamental to our values. Terrorists will never change our way of life. https://t.co/hCuZcZ7UbA

— Boris Johnson (@BorisJohnson) June 19, 2022

"Freedom of worship and tolerance for different faiths is fundamental to our values. Terrorists will never change our way of life," Johnson said.

Osborne left a note in the van, in which he stated he was seeking revenge for Islamist terror attacks, as he named Khan as someone he also wanted to kill.

He was prosecuted by the police on terror charges following the attack, and in early 2018 a jury found him guilty of murder.

Osbourne – who had been “rapidly radicalised” according to Judge Bobbie Cheema-Grub - was then convicted on terror charges and jailed for a minimum of 43 years.

His “mindset became one of malevolent hatred”, according to Cheema-Grub, as Reuters claimed Osborne was radicalised by a BBC TV drama based on child sex crimes committed by Asian men.