Police report fatalities in new London terror attack
— Terrorism struck at the heart of London, police said Sunday, after a vehicle veered off the road and mowed down pedestrians on London Bridge and witnesses told of men with large knives stabbing passersby at nearby Borough Market.
The violence turned a summery Saturday night in an area packed with bars and restaurants into a scene of panic and chaos, with officers running through crowded streets screaming for people to flee and lifeboats drafted to help clear the area.
The London Ambulance Service said at least 20 injured people had been taken to six hospitals, and British media said several people had been killed. The Metropolitan Police force declared the attacks “terrorist incidents.”
Hours after the attacks began, a large area of central London remained cordoned off, leaving tourists and revelers struggling to get home. It was unclear whether any of the attackers was on the run.
Bursts of gunfire echoed through the streets — likely from armed police — and at least three blasts rang out as police performed controlled explosions. One image taken by a witness showed a man on the ground surrounded by police; he appeared to be wearing a vest with canisters attached to it.
Gerard Vowls told The Guardian newspaper that he saw a woman being stabbed by three men at the south end of London Bridge. He said he threw chairs, glasses and bottles at the attackers in a bid to stop them. “They kept coming to try to stab me. They were stabbing everyone. Evil, evil people,” he said.