Photo: Man who died in Finsbury Park terror attack identified as Makram Ali, 51 | Welcome to Linda Ikeji's Blog

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Thursday 22 June 2017

Photo: Man who died in Finsbury Park terror attack identified as Makram Ali, 51

The man who died at the scene of the terrorist attack in Finsbury Park on Monday, 19 June has been formally identified as 51-year-old Makram Ali from Haringey.

Mr Ali’s family have been informed and are being supported by specially-trained family liaison officers.

A special post-mortem examination was carried out on Monday, 19 June at the Whittington Hospital. Preliminary findings are that Mr Ali died of multiple injuries.

Mr Ali came to the UK from Bangladesh when he was 10 years old. He was married with four daughters, two sons and two grandchildren. He regularly attended the local mosque and enjoyed visiting the local park with his grandchildren.

Met Police Commissioner Cressida Dick and senior investigators met with his family at New Scotland Yard today, Thursday, 22 June.

In a statement, Mr Ali’s family described him as a peace-loving and gentle person who had no enemies. They were due to fly to Canada for a family holiday. The family said:
“We are devastated by the loss of a husband, father, brother and grandfather, Makram Ali, in this tragic event.
“Our father was a quiet gentle man, he didn’t get involved in political or social discussion, he instead took comfort and enjoyment spending time with his wife, children and grandchildren and he was always ready to make a funny joke when you least expected.”
“We wish everyone to know what a loving man he was, he spent his whole life without any enemies, choosing a quiet life instead. We as a family have always believed that the actions of one person cannot be a reflection of a whole people and I have no doubt that our father would not wish for there to be any retaliation or recriminations and would urge people to remain calm and to pray for peace in these difficult times.”
Detectives from the Met’s Counter Terrorism Command are continuing to appeal for witnesses to the attack or anyone with information that may assist the investigation to contact them.
Police were called at 00:21hrs on 19 June to Seven Sisters Road, Finsbury Park, to reports of a van colliding with pedestrians. A number of people were injured.
Mr Ali was receiving first aid at the scene as the attack unfolded and was pronounced dead at the scene at 01:04hrs.
Detectives have today released a photo of the van used in the attack - registration plate number PO54 CSF - and are urging anyone who spoke to the driver of this vehicle during the day leading up the incident to call police in confidence on 0800 789 321.
It is believed that the van was driven from the Cardiff area of Wales at about 08.20hrs on Sunday, 18 June to London on Monday, 19 June. Deputy Assistant Commissioner Neil Basu said :
"Following the attack, specialist counter terrorism officers have spoken to 28 witnesses who were at the scene. We are very grateful to everyone who has provided information so far – their accounts are assisting the investigation hugely - but we need more people to come forward and tell us what they saw and what they know about the driver of this van. If you think you may have spoken to the driver please get in touch.”
Detectives have trawled through around 80 hours of CCTV so far. They have visited 140 locations and recovered 33 digital devices from a number of addresses in Wales.
A 47-year-old man arrested in connection with the incident remains in custody. On Tuesday, 20 June detectives obtained a warrant for further detention until 00:54 on Saturday, 24 June.
Of the victims who were injured during the attack, four remain in hospital – two receiving critical care.
          Full statement from Mr Ali’s family:
"We are devastated by the loss of a husband, father, brother and grandfather, Makram Ali, in this tragic event.
"Our father was a quiet gentle man, he didn’t get involved in political or social discussion, he instead took comfort and enjoyment spending time with his wife, children and grandchildren and he was always ready to make a funny joke when you least expected.
"We are distressed about what happened. We know that he had some form of collapse because of his weak leg, a condition he suffers from, before recovering, sitting up and expressing a wish to return home only to then become a victim of this horrific incident. An incident made only more tragic as he had only just completed his evening prayers, something he did regularly. He took great comfort in the feelings of peace his prayers provided.
"We wish everyone to know what a loving man he was, he spent his whole life without any enemies, choosing a quiet life instead. We as a family have always believed that the actions of one person cannot be a reflection of a whole people and I have no doubt that our father would not wish for there to be any retaliation or recriminations and would urge people to remain calm and to pray for peace in these difficult times.
"At present we are getting a clearer picture of what exactly happened to our father and we are getting regular updates from the police who have been extremely helpful so far. We wish to thank them and the emergency services for their work and we’d especially like to thank those people who helped our father in his last moments and also thank all the people who have left messages of condolence and flowers at the mosque.
"Until we know more we would ask everyone to respect our privacy so that we may grieve in peace and come to terms with the immense loss in our lives."

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