Muslim woman, schoolgirl attacked in near-fatal 'revenge' terror attack

A British man has been convicted of the attempted murder of a Muslim woman and schoolgirl in Leicester last year, in a hate crime the attacker described as "revenge" for recent Islamist extremist terror attacks in the UK, The Independent reported.

Paul Moore, 21, is accused of targeting two people purely for the colour of their skin and the fact they wore headscarves, after he drove his car into the two victims in Leicester in September of last year, just days after the failed Parsons Green bombing. He allegedly told his family he was "doing the country a favour" by targeting Muslims.

Moore inflicted Zainab Hussein - a hijab-wearing woman of Somali origin - with life-changing injuries after swerving his car into her as she walked down a street in Leicester. Moore reportedly attempted to run her over a second time as she lay injured in the road.

Hussein was left with a broken leg and pelvic and spinal fractures.

Moore subsequently targeted a 12-year-old schoolgirl, also of Somali origin and wearing a headscarf. He apparently clipped her but she did not sustain any serious injuries.

Addressing the case against Mr Moore, prosecutor Jonathan Straw told the jury at Nottingham Crown Court: "(Moore) carefully and deliberately, in an act of calculated evil, aligned his wheels so the front and back wheels were over her (Ms Hussein).

"He did not know her. He tried to kill her purely because of the colour of her skin and because of her perceived Islamic faith as she was wearing a hijab.

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"It is no coincidence, we say, that there had been a bomb at Parsons Green Tube station in London, said to have been carried out by sympathisers of Islamic State."

Moore, who according to witnesses was laughing as he attempted to run over Zainab Hussein a second time, reportedly showed no emotion as the jury unanimously found him guilty of attempted murder, grievous bodily harm with intent and dangerous driving on Friday, according to The Independent.

Zainab Hussein's husband Barre Duale, said that Paul Moore had "joined the ranks of terrorists" by launching an attack on the British values.

"He was actually attacking Britain, he was attacking a British mother, a British wife, a productive British worker and charity volunteer," he said in a statement.

"He wasn't attacking terrorists, he was joining their ranks by doing what they do and attacking an innocent woman," the statement added.

Moore denied the charges and is yet to be sentenced.

Many people on Twitter voiced their frustration over the fact that Moore has not been labelled a terrorist by the mainstream media, despite his senseless targeting of Muslims.

The conviction comes at the same time as numbers of far-right extremists in the UK government's counter-terrorism programme are sky-rocketing, according to The Independent.

"We must be prepared for more terrorist plots and use of extreme violence from the far-right for the foreseeable future," said Nick Lowles, chief executive of Hope not Hate, an advocacy group fighting against hate crimes in the UK.

The group warned in a recent report that the UK is facing a "surging threat" of far-right extremism, who often champion the idea of a "war against Islam."