Story highlights A van hit pedestrians in the North London borough of Islington Monday local time

The attack took place in the Finsbury Park neighborhood, home to a number of mosques

(CNN) The area of north London where a vehicle ploughed into worshippers who had left a nearby mosque early Monday is vibrant, ethnically diverse and home to a strong Muslim community.

On Fridays, worshippers can be seen heading to and from the several mosques in the area. On days when Arsenal football club hosts home matches at the nearby Emirates stadium, the streets around Finsbury Park's transit interchange throngs with fans.

As with many areas on the fringes of central London, gentrification has seen the arrival of gourmet coffee shops and refurbished bars. The local MP is Jeremy Corbyn, the leader of the UK's main opposition Labour Party.

Cynthia Vanzella, a witness to the van attack, describes the area as a mixed community, with people from many different countries and cultures. "We all live perfectly fine," she said.

"I never saw anything nowhere close to this happen at all. We have a church in one road, an evangelic church in another and a mosque across the road as well. And everybody ... lives fine. We never had any problem at all in here."

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