Photo by SA 3.0
On June 19, a man by the name of Darren Osborne attacked Muslim worshippers as they were coming out of a mosque during Ramadan in London. He is known for becoming angry when he is drunk.
New York Times reports, “He was born in Singapore, but his family moved back to Britain when he was a child. He had family problems and was known by locals as belligerent and aggressive, with a drinking problem. He had Muslim neighbors, who described his behavior as fairly unremarkable, and his children had Muslim friends.”
One person died and 11 were injured Monday morning, as Muslim worshippers were leaving the Mosque.
The Guardian explains, “One person died and 11 were injured in the early hours of Monday morning after a van was driven into a crowd of Muslim worshippers in Finsbury Park, in north London. Police said the man who died was already being treated for an unrelated ailment and they are still investigating whether or not his death was related to the attack. Of those who were injured, nine were taken to hospital and two were treated for minor injuries at the scene.”
Most of those who knew Osborne didn’t see any hatred for Muslims in him. They believed he was deeply troubled mentally but was a good person nonetheless. Just weeks before the attacks, he tried to take his own life and after an unsuccessful attempt, asked to be taken to a mental hospital.
Per The Telegraph, “‘He tried to kill himself six, eight weeks ago,’ she told MailOnline. ‘He threw himself into the river in Cardiff. He asked to be taken into care, to be sectioned but they wouldn’t do it.’”
Osborne was not formally a suspect in the case. When friends and families watched his arrest in the television, his face was recognized.
The New York Times states, “The authorities have not formally identified Mr. Osborne as a suspect. But British news organizations, including the BBC, have named him, and friends and family members recognized him as the man arrested after Monday’s attack.”
London City Mission seeks to bring Christ’s hope to the different ethnic groups of London, by training people to be cross-cultural missionaries.
London City Mission explains, “We work with people of many faiths and none, seeking to make Jesus Christ known. Our ethnic team have come to London from across the world and are gifted with languages and cultural experience. Each has a desire to share Jesus across cultural barriers.”
Pray for those who were affected by this attack on the mosque, that they would be comforted. Pray for London City Mission, that they would be able to reach many ethnic minorities with Christ’s love.
The New York Times: How Neighbors Saw Man Held in London Mosque Attack: ‘Drunk, Cursing and Vile’
The Telegraph: Who is Darren Osborne? Everything we know about the Finsbury Park mosque suspect
London City Mission: Ethnic Ministry
