Terror returns to London Bridge... Two killed in knife rampage before attacker with fake suicide vest is shot dead by police
❝ I’d say there were about ten or eleven shots in fairly quick succession
A KNIFE-WIELDING terrorist wearing a fake suicide vest killed two people before being shot dead by police yesterday.
The attacker, who has not been named, was killed on London Bridge in full view of horrified onlookers.
Metropolitan Police Commissioner Cressida Dick confirmed two people died in the incident, and three others were injured.
She refused to confirm whether or not the suspect was known to police, but said: “We will be working as fast as we can to understand who this man is, where he comes from and whether there is anyone else who we need to find quickly who might be in touch with him.”
Prime Minister Boris Johnson praised members of the public “for their immense bravery” after it emerged bystanders helped tackle the suspect to the ground and disarm him.
Mr Johnson called a meeting of the government’s emergency Cobra committee yesterday evening and cancelled his General Election campaigning events today. The Lib Dems have also decided to temporarily suspend campaigning.
Several people were stabbed by the knifeman before he was stopped in his tracks on London Bridge, which was the scene of the bloody massacre in summer 2017 when eight people were killed and 48 seriously injured.
Scotland Yard said yesterday’s incident started at nearby Fishmongers’ Hall, and that police had “bravely and professionally confronted the suspect” within five minutes of being called.
Footage on social media showed one man being urged to move away by armed officers before the suspect was shot at point-blank range, as another bystander — understood to be a plain clothes officer — could be seen carrying a large knife away from the scene.
Another video appeared to show a person on a stretcher, surrounded by emergency services staff and vehicles, being given CPR by responders.
The members of the public who intervened have been wideof ly praised, with mayor of London Sadiq Khan hailing their “breathtaking heroism”.
Witnesses said the suspect appeared to be wearing a suicide vest but Neil Basu, the head of UK counter-terrorism policing, said the vest was a fake.
He said police were called at around 2pm to a stabbing “at a premises near London Bridge”.
After being shot, the suspect in yesterday’s attack raised his arms towards his head before lying still. A second knife could be seen on the ground near his body.
Mr Basu told reporters: “A male suspect was shot by specialist armed officers from City London police and I can confirm that this suspect died at the scene.”
The London Ambulance Service declared it a major incident and one picture on social media appeared to show a body covered with a blanket.
The Independent Office for Police Conduct watchdog said it has launched an investigation into the police shooting of the attacker which is standard for such incidents.
Witnesses described a scene of panic around London Bridge, moments after the incident.
Nurse Jackie Bensfield (32) described how she asked to be let off a bus on London Bridge after she heard “five or six” gunshots.
Ms Bensfield, who was on her way home from work, said she exited the bus and “ran like hell” to escape the shots.
Cecilia Sodero was on the top deck of a bus going over London Bridge when she heard shots and saw a man lying on the ground with a “very scary device, like a bomb device”.
Northern Irish musician and filmmaker Paddy Cartwright (23) was jogging nearby when the attack took place.
The Moira man told Q Radio: “I was on the north side of London Bridge, about to run up a spiral staircase, when I heard police officers screaming to get back down the steps. A woman said to me ‘Someone’s been shot’ — which I didn’t really believe. And then sure enough, when we got down the stairs you could see London Bridge being evacuated — and about two minutes later,
I’d say there were about ten or eleven shots in fairly quick succession.”
Elsewhere, in a separate incident, three people were wounded in a stabbing in The Hague’s main shopping street last night, and police were searching for at least one suspect, authorities in The Netherlands said.
Police spokeswoman Marije Kuiper told The Associated Press that it was still too early to say whether a terror motive was to blame for the attack.
The area was busy at the time as shoppers looked for Black Friday shopping deals.
Ms Kuiper said it was unclear whether any of the injuries were life-threatening.
The Hague police said in a statement that they were looking for a man aged about 45 to 50 years old and wearing a grey jogging suit.