London Car Attack Explained: Why Police Arrested the Driver for Attempted Murder, Not Terrorism

On Saturday afternoon, 27 June, a man was arrested after allegedly ploughing a car into several pedestrians on one of London's busiest shopping streets in Ealing.

The suspect has been identified as 34-year-old Somali-born Timir Ahmed Mohamed, who has been charged with five counts of attempted murder. The Metropolitan Police also brought additional charges, including dangerous driving, failing to stop, failing to provide a specimen of breath for analysis, and criminal damage.

Although counter-terrorism officers were called in because of the nature of the incident, the Metropolitan Police said in a statement: 'While investigators are keeping an open mind as to any potential motive, the incident is not being treated as terrorism.'

Shopping Turned Into Chaos in Ealing

At around 2:30pm outside Marks & Spencer on Ealing Broadway, shoppers were sent fleeing when a car drove into multiple pedestrians before continuing down the road.

Witnesses described chaotic scenes and said bystanders attempted to chase the vehicle, with some reportedly smashing its windows. The driver did not get far, as officers arrested him a short distance away in Grange Park.

Of the five people injured, three were taken to hospital, including one by London's Air Ambulance, while the remaining two were treated at the scene.

The Metropolitan Police and London Ambulance Service confirmed that none of the victims suffered life-threatening or life-changing injuries.

Mohamed has been remanded in custody and is due to appear before Willesden Magistrates' Court on Monday, 29 June. He has been formally charged with five counts of attempted murder, one for each person injured.

Why Isn't the Incident Being Treated as Terrorism?

Despite the involvement of Counter Terrorism Policing, the Metropolitan Police has said the case is not currently being classified as an act of terrorism, while adding that investigators are 'keeping an open mind as to any potential motive'.

Based on the evidence gathered so far, officers believe the legal threshold for a terrorism designation has not been met.

Under UK law, an offence is generally considered terrorism if it is carried out to advance a political, religious, racial or ideological cause with the intention of influencing the government or intimidating the public.

Comparisons to the Recent Lewis Hawkes Case

The incident has prompted comparisons with the recent case involving Lewis Hawkes in Edinburgh, where the Scottish man was charged with five counts of attempted murder after several people, including Muslims, were injured in an attack that Police Scotland classified as racially and religiously aggravated.

Some people online have questioned the difference in how the two cases have been categorised, with some arguing that Mohamed's case should also be investigated as terrorism.

For now, however, the Metropolitan Police has maintained that its investigation remains ongoing, including efforts to establish a motive. Mohamed is due to make his first court appearance on 29 June, when further details about the case may emerge.