One killed after van crashes into pedestrians in London

The 48-year-old driver of the van was detained by members of the public and then arrested by police, as Muslim leaders said worshippers were specifically targeted after leaving prayers at the mosque shortly after midnight.

The incident comes after two deadly Islamist-inspired attacks this year that used vehicles to ram pedestrians - a stabbing spree earlier this month in the London Bridge area and a March attack in which a man drove a car into crowds on Westminster Bridge.

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"One man was pronounced dead at the scene. Eight people injured were taken to three separate hospitals," police said in a statement, adding that two other people were treated for minor injuries.

Amateur video footage showed three people lying on the ground, including one who was receiving mouth-to-mouth resuscitation.

Police said the driver had also been taken to hospital and would receive a mental health assessment.

"Due to the nature of this incident, extra policing resources have been deployed in order to reassure communities, especially those observing Ramadan," the police statement concluded.

The Muslim Council of Britain (MCB), an umbrella body for British Muslims, said the incident occurred outside the Muslim Welfare House on Seven Sisters Road, near the Finsbury Park mosque.

Harun Khan, the head of the MCB, said the van had "intentionally" run over people who were leaving prayers held during the holy month of Ramadan.

Monday's incident in London follows an Islamist-inspired attack on June 3 in which three militants wearing fake suicide vests ran over pedestrians and went on a stabbing spree in bars in the London Bridge area.

They killed eight people before being shot dead by police.

London Mayor Sadiq Khan said following that attack that there had been a 40-percent increase in racist incidents in the city and a fivefold increase in the number of anti-Muslim incidents.

Britain has seen two other attacks this year.

On March 22, a man drove a rented car into pedestrians on Westminster Bridge in London and stabbed a police officer guarding the British parliament to death before being shot dead. Five people were killed in the attack.

On May 22, a suicide bomber blew himself up outside a pop concert in Manchester, killing 22 people.

Footage below shows the 48-year-old driver being apprehended by police.