An imam who asked people not to hurt a far-right terrorist after he ploughed his car into worshippers in Finsbury Park has been commended for his bravery in the New Year’s Honours list.
Imam Mohammed Mahmoud, who is based the East London Mosque in Whitechapel, is to be made an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in recognition of his service to the community, most notably in the immediate aftermath of the terrorist attack that killed 51-year-old grandfather Makram Ali in June 2017.
Mr Mahmoud intervened after Darren Osborne, who was radicalised watching videos of the likes of English Defence League founder Tommy Robinson, drove his van into crowd of pedestrians gathered near the entrance to Muslim Welfare House in Finsbury Park.
He was an imam at the mosque in north London at the time.
After the van mounted the pavement and hit members of the Muslim community, Mr Mahmoud helped to flag down an ambulance and urged people not to hurt the terrorist.
Osborne was sentenced to life imprisonment for a minimum of 43 years last February.
The Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn called the imam “an amazing man”.
He said: “His humanity, presence of mind and belief in justice are to be highly commended.”
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