Police plead for calm

Photo: The Canadian Press

London police, already stretched by a series of major incidents around the British capital, are putting more officers on the street to reassure the public after a driver plowed into a crowd of people leaving a mosque early Monday. One man died at the scene and 10 people were injured.

Police say a suspect was arrested immediately after the attack, which is being treated as a terrorist incident.

"Extra officers are on duty in the area to help reassure the local community," Police Commissioner Cressida Dick said. "They will be there for as long as they are needed. Communities will see additional officers patrolling across the city and at Muslim places of worship."

Police said the 48-year-old man who was driving the van has been arrested and taken to a hospital as a precaution. He was arrested on suspicion of attempted murder. It was not immediately clear why no charge had been made in relation to the one death.

The attack will stretch the capacity of authorities in Britain, who have faced four attacks in recent months, together with a major fire that has killed dozens. London's Mayor Sadiq Mayor Khan, the first Muslim to serve in that position, urged the public to focus on shared values and urged the city to stand together in an unprecedented period in the capital's history.

"While this appears to be an attack on a particular community, like the terrible attacks in Manchester, Westminster and London Bridge it is also an assault on all our shared values of tolerance, freedom and respect," he said. "The situation is still unfolding and I urge all Londoners to remain calm and vigilant."