Twisted killer Darren Osborne was radicalised in just four weeks after watching BBC drama and accessing neo-Nazi material on the internet
TWISTED mosque maniac Darren Osborne turned into a hate-filled extremist in just four weeks before his terror attack, police said yesterday.
The jobless dad of four, 48, grew furious at Muslims after watching a BBC drama on child grooming gangs.
Cops believe loner Osborne’s mind was also warped by researching neo-Nazi material on the internet.
Osborne shrugged yesterday as jurors took just an hour to convict him of murdering Makram Ali, 51, and injuring 12 by ploughing into a crowd of worshippers shortly after midnight.
He faces a life sentence today if judge Mrs Justice Cheema-Grubb rules the attack in Finsbury Park, North London, on June 19 was terrorism.
Prosecutors have said it was a terrorist attack. Osborne’s family said he never expressed right-wing views before watching BBC1 drama Three Girls about Asian grooming gangs in Rochdale, broadcast in May.
Commander Dean Haydon, head of the Met Police’s Counter Terrorism Command, said: “Darren Osborne is a devious, vile and hate-filled individual. He was absolutely intent on targeting the Muslim community and using a van as a weapon to kill.
“I am concerned about the internet’s role in this case. It demonstrates that individuals can become radicalised very quickly — in three to four weeks.
Cdr Haydon added: “We believe the first trigger was the documentary on Rochdale.
“That was the catalyst for his hatred of the Muslim community.”
He said Osborne became obsessed with far-right figures like former EDL leader Tommy Robinson and Britain First’s deputy chief Jayda Fransen.
HERO IMAN SAVED KILLER
HERO imam Mohammed Mahmoud stopped the furious crowd from tearing killer Osborne apart after the horrifying van attack.
Mr Mahmoud led two of his clergy to form a protective ring around the maniac until the police arrived.
The reluctant hero, 31, told Woolwich crown court: “He wasn’t a threat and therefore he should answer for his crime in a court, which he is doing now, and not in a court in the streets.”
Shortly after the attack he said: “The true heroes are those who arrived on the scene right at the start and those in the hospital right now suffering with terrible injuries.”
Police said he received an automatic reply from Mr Robinson after contacting him on Twitter, and got a message back from Ms Fransen.
At the time of the attack, former painter and decorator Osborne had not worked for ten years and was on anti-depressants.
He was living in a tent in the garden of his estranged partner Sarah Andrews. She banned him from the house because of his drinking.
They moved to Cardiff in 2007 after Osborne got two years for battering a drinking buddy with a bicycle lock in May 2005.
His 2006 trial at Swindon crown court heard Osborne had a lengthy criminal record including beating his partner and twice assaulting police officers.
Several weeks before the mosque attack, Osborne tried to kill himself by jumping into a river.
He then pleaded to be sectioned under the Mental Health Act after he hurled insults at the 12-year-old son of Muslim neighbours in response to the Westminster attack.
WEB MENACE
THE Met’s Commander Haydon said Osborne’s mind had been twisted by what he accessed online — and called for web firms to wipe out extremist material.
Relatives say Osborne fell into a spiral of extremism after researching neo-Nazi ideology in just a few weeks before his van rampage.
And Cdr Haydon told The Sun: “The internet played a major role in fuelling his hate-filled agenda which ultimately led to the attack.”
Cdr Haydon’s counter-terrorism command has a world-leading internet unit which has taken down up to 400,000 images.
But he added: “Internet companies could do more to take this material down themselves.
“From our investigation we have found no evidence other than that Osborne acted alone.”
Ms Andrews described him in court as a “ticking time bomb”.
This month’s trial at Woolwich crown court, South London, heard Osborne spouted racist bile after his attack, saying: “I’m going to kill all Muslims. I did my bit.”
Mr Ali died from multiple injuries at the scene. Two others suffered life-changing injuries.
Cdr Haydon yesterday called on web giants to do more to remove extreme material from sites.
He added: “We have found no evidence that Osborne acted other than alone.”
The police chief warned that neo-Nazi groups are an emerging threat in the UK. And he said those with far right-wing views now make up 30 per cent of all referrals to the Government’s Prevent anti-terrorism programme.
Last month a report into the 2017 terror attacks in the UK made several recommendations on addressing the neo-Nazi threat.
The Government has made membership of three far-right groups illegal in the last year.
Cdr Haydon said their views expressed on the internet were mainly “unpalatable but legal”.
MOST READ IN NEWS
Timeline of a hate crime
POLICE searches of two iPhones and an iPad linked to Osborne revealed how he became a killer.
MAY 16, 17, 18
BBC drama Three Girls airs.
He becomes “obsessed” with Muslims.
MAY 22
Manchester terror attack kills 22.
JUNE 3
7.15pm: Britain First deputy Jayda Fransen sends a direct Twitter message to Osborne.
10pm: London Bridge terror attack kills eight.
JUNE 4
1.11pm: Web search for Britain First boss and EDL creator To- mmy Robinson.
10.36pm: Search for “syria bus bombing”, “lee rigby”, “manchester bomb”, and “westminster bombing”.
JUNE 6
3.09pm: Sees article: “Proof: Muslims celebrated terror attack in London”.
9.09pm: Search for “which party bring back death penalty”.
JUNE 9
Screenshot of email from Tommy Robinson inviting him to a rally.
JUNE 17
10.10am: Osborne rents van.
1.23pm: Views Robinson tweet.
1.35pm: “Jeremy Corbyn” search.
3.31pm: New Robinson tweet.
7.30pm-9.30pm: Osborne goes to pub, writes letter found in van, accused of “race hatred” by pal.
JUNE 18
Osborne travels to London.
JUNE 19
12.15am: Osborne drives into a group of Muslims aiding ill man.
'THE TAFIA'
LONER Osborne concocted a bizarre last-minute defence during his nine-day trial.
He claimed he had two accomplices — Dave and Terry Jones — who he had met at the Pick and Shovel pub in Pontypridd.
He said they were going to start a far-right group called The Taffia.
Osborne claimed “Dave” had been at the wheel at the time of the attack, while he had hid in a footwell to change his trousers after wetting himself.
He said he had no idea “Dave” intended to smash into pedestrians, and believed they were on their way to a pub to meet co-conspirator Terry.
He said “Dave” had vanished like a stage magician. Osborne said: “He’s like Dynamo, an illusionist. He can make himself vanish, perhaps. I don’t know.”
The court also heard Osborne had written a note pouring scorn on Labour’s Jeremy Corbyn, London Mayor Sadiq Khan and singer Lily Allen. Police said those named were told of the rants but there was no indication of any direct action to target them.