A plucky Good Samaritan made a 14-mile journey on her mobility scooter to thank an Imam hailed a hero after the Finsbury Park mosque attack.
Julie Simpson made the trek from Ilford aboard her trusty vehicle named ‘Myrtle’ to deliver a card and some money for the family of a man who died at the scene.
In footage posted to Facebook by Eisa Ali, a tearful Simpson told Imam Mahmoud: “The people who have done this are not English, they are not Christian, in fact they are animals, they are pigs.
“In the Koran and the Bible it says ‘love your brother like you would love yourself’. Would you do that to your brother?”
Reaching for the Imam’s hand, she added: “I am so, so, sorry. It rips my heart out. It literally rips my heart out. I’ve come all the way from Ilford just to see you.”
The Imam has been publicly acknowledged for protecting a suspect from an angry mob after a white van ploughed into people leaving midnight prayers on north London’s Seven Sisters Road.
Nine people were injured with two still in a serious condition.
Imam Mohammed earlier told Sky News: “We found that a group of people quickly tried to collect around him and some tried to hit him, either kicks or punches.
“By God’s grace we managed to surround him and protect him from any harm.”
As police arrived, he told them: “If you don’t take him, God forbid he might be seriously hurt.”
Replying to Simpson, he said: “You don’t have to apologise because he doesn’t represent you. This criminal doesn’t represent you and he doesn’t represent Britain.
“They are a fringe group of criminals and extremists, likewise ISIS, they are a fringe group of extremists and they don’t represent Muslims and these people do not represent the great people of Britain. And we’re part of Britain.”
A 47-year-old man remains in custody and is being held for terrorism offences. Multiple reports have named him as Darren Osborne, a father-of-four who lives in Cardiff.
The man who died was already receiving first aid from members of the public and it is not yet known if his death was caused by the attack, Metropolitan Police deputy assistant commissioner Neil Basu said.
Imam Mohammed added: “It’s a tragedy to lose any human life especially with such barbarism like London Bridge, Manchester and last night here in Finsbury Park and we just thank God that there is only one fatality and we pray to God that those that are injured receive the best treatment and recover quickly, Inshallah.”