London's Muslims raise £18,000 in one day for victims of terror attack

Helena Horton 24 March 2017 • 8:33am

Westminster the day after the terrorist attack on Westminster Bridge Credit: Geoff Pugh for the Telegraph

A Muslim group raised £18,000 in one day in support of the victims of Wednesday's London terror attacks and their families.

Muslims United for London co-ordinated a crowdfunding campaign which saw the amount of money skyrocket in the first hour.

The funds will be used to support victims and victims’ families of the terror attack in which four people were killed and 40 injured.

We did it in less than an hour! Over £2500 raised. Can we get to £3000 in the next hr. let's do this! https://t.co/8WhEpANEwf #PrayForLondon pic.twitter.com/nkYT5MRq0I
— Akeela Ahmed (@AkeelaAhmed) March 23, 2017

The project, Muslims Unite for London, was set-up by Muddassar Ahmed who was in Parliament when the attack happened and captured footage of the scene on his phone. Muddassar along with others spent nearly five hours in the building as authorities secured the area.

The crowdfunding page says: "Thank you for supporting the victims and the families of victims of this tragic attack.

"100% of funds collected through this campaign will go to the victims and the families of the victims most affected by the tragic events that unfolded on March 22, 2017, in our community."

The Telegraph asked organiser Muddassar Ahmed how funds would be distributed to victims and families.

He said: "Most likely through the police roll of honour trust but we are exploring several options".

The Telegraph has contacted the organisers for comment.

We are all one - I love this city and our resilient communities https://t.co/w5R4pO8z7D
— Hayyan Ayaz Bhabha (@HayyanAyaz) March 23, 2017

In a statement Muslims United for London said: “The British Muslim community stands with the community during these difficult times and extends their support in raising funds to help with the immediate, short-term needs of the families of Keith Palmer, the other victims and the families of the victims.

“While no amount of money will bring back lives lost or take away from the pain the victims and their families are going through, we hope to lessen their burden in some way.”

Muddassar Ahmed, who launched the page, told ITV: “I was in a meeting and suddenly my phone started going off and people started calling me. We looked out of the window and we saw a scene of horror.

“It was so shocking and completely out of the blue.

“It’s something you hear about, but never expect to experience.”