‘Enough is enough’
VAN PLOUGHS INTO CROWD: 7 KILLED AND 30 INJURED
Spectator says driver ‘looked like he was aiming for groups of people. I froze.’
Militants on Saturday night drove a van at high speed into pedestrians on London Bridge before stabbing revellers on the street and in nearby bars, killing seven people and wounding 30.
Armed police rushed to the scene and shot dead the three male attackers in the Borough Market area near the bridge. By later yesterday police had rounded up 12 suspects linked to the attack.
The attack comes days ahead of an election on Thursday and less than two weeks after a suicide bomber killed 22 people at a pop concert by US singer Ariana Grande in Manchester in northern England. There was no immediate claim of responsibility.
Anti-terrorism officer Mark Rowley said the three attackers had been wearing what looked like explosive vests that were later found to have been a hoax.
The BBC showed a photograph of two possible attackers shot by police, one of whom had canisters strapped to his body. Hours after the attack, the area, downstream from London’s government quarter, remained sealed off and patrolled by armed police and counterterrorism officers.
The London ambulance service said about 30 people had been taken to hospitals across the city.
Streets around London Bridge and Borough Market, fashionable districts packed with bars and restaurants, would have been busy with people on a Saturday night out.
London Mayor Sadiq Khan spoke of a “cowardly attack on innocent Londoners and visitors to our city enjoying their Saturday night”.
Witnesses described a white van careering into pedestrians on London Bridge and knocking over several people.
“It looked like he was aiming for groups of people. I froze because I didn’t know what to do,” said Mark Roberts, 53, a management consultant.
He saw at least six people on the ground after the van veered on and off the pavement.
The BBC showed dozens of people, evidently caught up in the attack, being escorted to safety through a police cordon with their hands on their heads.
Islamic State, losing territory in Syria and Iraq to an advance backed by a US-led coalition, sent out a call on instant messaging service Telegram early on Saturday urging its followers to launch attacks with trucks, knives and guns against “Crusaders” during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.
Several witnesses also reported hearing gunshots around London Bridge.