DEATH BRIDGE
• Two stabbed dead in London terror attack • Brits tackle fiend, then cops gun him down
Gutsy British bystanders took down a knife-wielding terrorist Friday as he carved a bloody path across the London Bridge, with police fatally shooting the madman after five horrifying minutes where two innocent victims were murdered and three more wounded.
A video of the wild afternoon rampage captured the sound of a dozen gunshots fired at Usman Khan, 28, who donned a phony explosive vest before the attack began at 1:58 p.m., authorities said.
Unidentified Londoners wrestled the armed killer to the ground just before cops arrived on the bridge connecting the city’s business district with the south bank of the River Thames.
One Londoner is seen walking on the bridge with a long knife in his hand after the killer was disarmed, while another video captured a civilian wrestling with the black-clad attacker. Though officials labeled Khan a terrorist, he was not immediately linked to any group and no terror organization claimed responsibility for the attack.
Eyewitness Uleg Bek, 23, was walking across the bridge when he heard screaming, followed almost immediately by gunfire as civilians ran for their lives on a November afternoon.
“I saw the [gunman] lying on the ground and didn’t know what was going on,” Bek told The Times of London. “The police were shouting at him and he was shouting, ‘Help, help, help.’ Everyone was so shook up. Police were screaming, ‘Put it down!’ ”
London Mayor Sadiq Kahn was effusive in his praise of the fearless Londoners who jumped into the bloody fray, citing the “breathtaking heroism of members of the public who literally ran towards danger not knowing what confronted them. They are the best of us.”
British authorities were in the process of determining whether Khan was a lone wolf or affiliated with a group. Khan had been jailed before on a conviction for a terrorist offense, the BBC said, citing sources.
“We retain an open mind as to any motive,” said Neil Basu, assistant commissioner for specialist operations with the Metropolitan Police. “It would not be appropriate to speculate further at this time.”
The three wounded victims were taken to two London hospitals, with one listed in critical but stable condition, another in stable condition and the third suf
fering from minor wounds.
The incident started with a stabbing inside Fishmongers’ Hall, a conference facility on the north end of the bridge. The attacker then headed onto the span, with police in pursuit.
Eyewitness Karen Bosch, who watched the scene from a bus on the bridge, said cops backed off the suspect as soon as they saw he wore what looked like an explosive vest.
The attacker “pulled his coat back, which showed that he had some sort of vest underneath — whether it’s a stab vest, or some sort of explosive vest,” recalled Bosch. “The police then really quickly moved backwards.”
Bosch and her baby moved to a safer place on the bus.
After the shooting, the terrorist was pronounced dead at the scene. His corpse laid on the picturesque bridge featured in a number of movies, including “About A Boy” with Hugh Grant.
The dramatic Friday showdown between the killer, the cops and the civilians came about 21⁄2 years after a deadly terrorist attack left eight people dead in the same area. In June 2017, a van ran over pedestrians before a group of ISISinspired terrorists jumped out and stabbed several victims with butcher knives at a nearby market.
“I’m deeply saddened and angered that our city of London has again been targeted by terrorism,” Metropolitan Police commissioner Cressida Dick said at a Friday night news conference.
The attack shut down the busy bridge and prompted a massive police response. The investigation also affected public transportation as subway trains did not stop at the London Bridge station, one of the busiest in the city, for several hours.
City of London police urged the public to stay away from the site as authorities continued to investigate the stabbing. And the NYPD said it was closely monitoring the situation, though noting there were no “specific or credible threats” to New York.
A bus driver told the BBC he was traveling toward London Bridge when he noticed the sudden, massive influx of police.
“A police officer came up to me and said turn off your engine, get off and run,” said driver Mustafa Salih. “I looked up and I could see a crowd of people coming towards me. One woman was crying … It was all very scary as we did not know what was happening.”
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson thanked the police and emergency services for their “immediate response” and said he was being kept updated.
Police also asked the public to use “common sense and restraint” in circulating pictures and videos of the incident.
Khan, in addition to praising the civilians, thanked London’s emergency services for their work.
“Everyday they put their lives on the line for us — running toward danger in order to keep London safe,” he said. “We must — and we will — stay resolute in our determination to stand strong and united in the face of terror. Those who seek to attack us and divide us will never succeed.”