London Bridge terror attack: Several injuries after stabbings

Police have declared a terrorist incident after several people were stabbed on London Bridge – and a suspect was shot dead.

Parts of central London are on lockdown, and police are treating the incident as a terror attack.

A person is believed to have started attacking people with a knife and was then shot by police on the north side of the bridge, according to witnesses.

Footage circulating on social media showed members of the public detaining the suspect and taking possession of a knife.

Police have confirmed “a number of people have been stabbed”.

Neil Basu, head of UK counter-terrorism policing, said: “At approximately 2pm today, police were called to a stabbing at a premises near London Bridge.

“Emergency services attended including officers from the City of London Police and Metropolitan Police.

“A male suspect was shot by specialist armed officers from City of London police and I can confirm that this suspect died at the scene.”

He said a “number of people have been injured” and police have declared the incident a terror attack.

Mr Basu added that police “believe a device that was strapped to the body of the suspect is a hoax explosive device”.

Video from the bridge shows a group of up to 10 pedestrians tackling a person, with one pedestrian wearing a suit and tie grabbing a large knife from the suspect.

The civilians are told to get back as armed officers aim their weapons at the suspect, who is shot at point-blank range.

Another video taken from a different angle shows one armed police officer at the beginning of the north side of the bridge crouched behind a police car aiming a gun down the bridge.

The video then moves to an unresponsive person on the pavement on the east side.

Boris Johnson tweeted: “I want to thank the emergency services and members of the public for their immense bravery in responding to this suspected terrorist attack at London Bridge.

“This is an apalling incident and all my thoughts are with the victims and their families.”

Mayor of London Sadiq Khan said members of the public showed “breathtaking heroism” as he said nobody can divide one of the most multicultural cities in the world.He added there are no other suspects.

Craig Heathcote, who was walking across the bridge at the time, told Sky News: “I reached the north side and someone came running towards me saying ‘get out of the way, someone’s got a knife’.

“I could then see on the other side of the bridge a big scuffle of people trying to get someone to the ground.

“I just immediately called 999. It was quite hard because cars were passing in the way of what was happening.

“A police car appeared from the bridge and two police officers got out and started taking over.

“There was lots of shouting and them trying to restrain him or get people out of the way before they fired the guns.”

Pedestrians on London Bridge, one of the main Thames crossings into the City, were seen running back towards the south side of the bridge, while drivers were seen abandoning their cars and running back.

Borough Market, which is also on the south side of the bridge, has been evacuated.

Offices around the bridge are on lockdown and London Bridge station is closed, British Transport Police said.

The incident comes nearly two and a half years after the 2017 London Bridge terror attack, where a van was driven into pedestrians on the bridge then its occupants ran into Borough Market and stabbed people in restaurants and pubs. Eight people were killed and 48 injured.

At the beginning of this month, the UK’s terror threat level was lowered from “severe” to “substantial” for the first time in five years. It meant an attack was likely instead of highly likely.

Joe, who was evacuated from his office overlooking London Bridge as he spoke to Sky News, said: “We saw loads of police cars heading towards the bridge. We saw a man on the ground and police pointing guns at him.”

He added he later saw a lady being carried away from the scene.

Several police cars have been pictured on the bridge, with a lorry stopped across the central reservation of the dual carriageway which police then tried to enter as they pointed guns at the trailer.

Pavements on both sides of the bridge have large bollards on to prevent vehicles – installed after the 2017 London Bridge terror attack.

Reem Yousef, who heard the gunshots, told Sky News: “I was below the bridge, about 30 metres to one side of it. I heard shouting.

“I looked up and it appeared to be potentially four or five people – it looked like it was a fight.

“Then I heard someone shouting ‘get back, get back’.

“People started running across the bridge and then [I] heard two gunshots and at that point obviously I ran.”

(c) Sky News 2019: London Bridge terror attack: Several injuries after stabbings