An imam who urged an angry crowd not to harm Finsbury Park attacker Darren Osborne has been praised by a High Court judge for choosing “to respond to evil with good”.
Mohammed Mahmoud, of the Muslim Welfare House in Seven Sisters Road, protected Osborne when he was wrestled to the ground in the aftermath of his murderous rampage.
He told bystanders, who were throwing punches at Osborne, to hand him “unscathed” to the police.
After sentencing the attacker to life imprisonment with a minimum of 43 years, Justice Cheema-Grubb told Woolwich Crown Court Mr Mahmoud acted with “true leadership”.
She said: “His behaviour throws into sharp relief the bile spewed out online from those who aspire to lead the haters.
“He had the strength of character to do the right thing under pressure. He chose to respond to evil with good.”
“His response should be everyone’s response, whether it is to the evil of child grooming and abuse in Rochdale or the evil of terrorist atrocities in our cities.”
Reporting by Press Association.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here