Man goes on stabbing spree at London Bridge, shot dead
LONDON: A man wearing a hoax suicide vest was shot dead by police near London Bridge on Friday after he stabbed several people, with some suffering serious injuries, as the festive air was jolted with scenes that reminded many of the 2017 terror attack.
Scotland Yard declared the stabbing as a terrorist incident, confirming that one male suspect had been shot dead. Footage on social media showed members of the public grappling with the knife-wielding suspect before police officers shot him.
“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,” said Neil Basu, assistant commissioner for specialist operations at Scotland Yard.
“A number of other people received injuries… As you would expect, due to the nature of the incident, we responded as though it was terrorist-related. I am now in a position to confirm that it has been declared a terrorist incident.” Basu confirmed that the suspect was wearing a hoax suicide vest.
UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson, who was on campaign trail for the December 12 election, returned to Downing Street as news of the attack spread.
London mayor Sadiq Khan said: “I’m mayor of the greatest city in the world. One of our strengths is our diversity. But we do know that there are people out there who hate our diversity, what we stand for and seek to divide us.”
“What is amazing about today is that we saw in one individual, the suspect, the worst of humanity but we also saw in the response from members of the public but also our emergency services the very best of humanity,” Khan said.
London Bridge was one of the areas targeted by an terrorist attack claimed by Islamic State in
June 2017, when 11 people were killed as terrorists went on a stabbing spree after ramming a van into pedestrians.
The incident shook people across London, where a large number of people were out shopping on ‘Black Friday’. The UK’S terror threat level was lowered earlier this month from ‘severe’ to ‘substantial’.
Johnson said: “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 appalling incident and all my thoughts are with the victims and their families.”