Report: Dearborn Preacher May Have Influenced London Attacker

DEARBORN (WWJ) -- A radical preacher from Dearborn, Michigan may have been a motivating factor in the attacks in London over the weekend, a report indicated Monday.

One of the men involved in an attack on London Bridge on Saturday may have been influenced by the teachings of Ahmad Musa Jibril, who is known for his radical YouTube videos, according to The Telegraph.

The friend told the BBC's Asian Network that the terrorist had been radicalised watching videos of the infamous American hate preacher Ahmad Musa Jibril.

He said: "We spoke about a particular attack that happened and like most radicals he had a justification for anything and everything and that day I 
realised I needed to contact the authorities."

He added: "He used to listen to a lot of Musa Jibril. I have heard some of this stuff and its very radical. I am surprised this stuff is still on YouTube and is easily accessible. I phoned the anti-terror hotline. I spoke to the gentleman. I told him about our conversation and why I think he was radicalised."

According to the Centre for the Study of Radicalization and Political Violence, Ahmad Jibril is popular among westerners who have traveled to the Middle East to fight for ISIS and Al-Qaeda.

Jibril is currently banned from American mosques and hasn't made a YouTube video since 2014. Dearborn is home to over 100,000 Muslim Americans.

Seven people were killed and 48 wounded in the attack when three men drove a van into a crowd of pedestrians on London Bridge. The men then got out of the van and began stabbing people with knives.

The assailants were shot dead by police.