Two dead in London Bridge knife attack
A KNIFE-WIELDING terrorist wearing a fake suicide vest killed two people before being shot dead by police.
The attacker, who has not been named, was killed on London Bridge yesterday afternoon in full view of horrified onlookers.
Emergency services confirmed three people were taken to hospital but refused to state whether this was on top of the civilian fatalities.
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 committee Cobra last night.
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 where eight people were killed and 48 seriously injured. Whitehall sources told the PA news agency that two of the victims had died and one person was in a critical condition in hospital. 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 could be seen carrying a large knife 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 following the attack.
The members of the public who intervened have been widely 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.
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 London Bridge attacker which is standard for such incidents.
Meanwhile, three people have been injured in a stabbing incident in The Hague’s main shopping street, Dutch police said.
The incident happened while the street was busy with people looking for Black Friday deals.
The Hague police said in a statement that they were looking for a man, about 45 to 50 years old, in a grey jogging suit.
Police spokeswoman Marije Kuiper said it was not clear if the stabbing was a terror incident.
Further details were not immediately available.