Finsbury Park terror suspect ‘had split from partner and was living in a tent’

The suspect in the terror attack on Muslims in Finsbury Park had separated from his partner and was living in a tent, it has been reported.

Darren Osborne (pictured above), 47, is being held by police after a man drove a van into pedestrians near a mosque in north London early on Monday morning.

They had been helping a man who had collapsed and later died, but it is unclear if he was a victim of the attack.

Osborne, a father-of-four from Pentwyn, Cardiff, was arrested after Muslims held him on the ground and waited for police to arrive on the scene.

Osborne, who is believed to have been from Weston-super-Mare, remains in custody at a south London police station.

Eleven people were injured in the attack, which took place at about 12.20am on the Seven Sisters Road near the Muslim Welfare House and the Finsbury Park mosque.

The area was busy at the time with worshippers attending Ramadan night prayers at the mosque.

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It was reported that neighbours said Osborne had recently split up from his partner, Sarah Andrews, and had been living in a tent in nearby woods. The couple have four children, aged between five and 16.

Neighbour Peter Mackuin, 53, told The Sun: ‘Around two weeks ago I saw him and he was a right state. He looked like he’d been crying. Something was definitely wrong.

‘His missus had been out looking for him as he had been gone all day after a blazing row. I saw him wandering out of the woods.’

It was reported that neighbours in Pentwyn heard Osborne call a 12-year-old Muslim girl ‘inbred’ on Monday, hours before the attack took place.

Meanwhile, Osborne’s mother spoke of her shock at seeing his image on television in reports from the scene of the attack.

‘I’m not going to defend him, but he’s my son and it’s a terrible, terrible shock,’ she told ITV News.

‘It’s not just robbing a bank, it’s an atrocity. And at this moment in time, I can’t cope with it, I can’t.’

She also told The Sun: ‘This is every mother’s worst nightmare.

‘I’m at my wit’s end. I saw him on TV and recognised him straight away. I just screamed.

‘My son is no terrorist — he’s just a man with problems and I don’t know how to cope with all this.

‘He’s never spoken to me about terror attacks or talked about “bloody Muslims” — never in a million years and that’s the truth. As a mum my heart goes out to everyone in Finsbury Park.’

In a statement, Mr Osborne’s family said: ‘We are massively shocked.

’It’s unbelievable, it still hasn’t really sunk in. We are devastated for the families, our hearts go out to the people who have been injured.’

They said that Osborne was ‘not a racist’ and said he had never expressed any racist views.

The statement added: ‘It’s madness. It is obviously sheer madness.’

Police have been searching a residential address in Pentwyn, where Osborne is listed as living.

Neighbour Khadijeh Sherizi said: ‘I saw him on the news and I thought, “Oh my God”, that is my neighbour.

‘He has been so normal. He was in his kitchen yesterday afternoon singing with his kids. He was the dad of the family. He has kids. He lives next door. He seemed polite and pleasant to me.’

Imam Mohammed Mahmoud was hailed for his efforts to prevent a mob attack and calm the situation before police arrived by shielding the suspected terrorist from the fury of onlookers.

He said: ‘By God’s grace we managed to surround him and protect him from any harm. We stopped all forms of attack and abuse towards him that were coming from every angle.’

Witnesses said the suspect was smiling and waving, with video posted online showing him give a nonchalant wave as police put him in the back of their vehicle.

The London Ambulance Service took nine people to three London hospitals. Two others were treated for minor injuries at the scene.

Witnesses described hearing the driver shout: ‘I’m going to kill Muslims.’

He was initially arrested on suspicion of attempted murder but Scotland Yard said he was later arrested for the commission, preparation or instigation of terrorism including murder and attempted murder.