London Attacks: Six Dead And 30 Injured In Knife And Van Terror Rampage

WHAT WE KNOW SO FAR

• Two ‘major incidents’ at London Bridge and Borough Market treated as terror. Six dead dead and 30 injured.

• Three male attackers shot and killed. Police say they believe they have killed all the London attackers.

• Witnesses report a white van driving into pedestrians on London Bridge before coming to a stop on Borough High Street just after 10pm (BST) on Saturday.

• Other witnesses then saw at least three men exit the van, before they carried out knife attacks on people in the Borough Market area.

• Two men were shot by police, and were pictured with canisters wrapped around their bodies.

• Police say suspects remain at large this morning amid a huge manhunt across London.

• Cobra, the government security committee, will meet on Sunday morning to review the UK’s threat level.

• President Donald Trump has said the US stands with London and the UK following the attacks.

London has been the victim of a terror attack after a stabbing rampage at Borough Market followed a van ploughing into pedestrians on London Bridge.

Six people are dead and more than 30 seriously injured in what appeared to be a coordinated attack on the capital on Saturday. Three male attackers have been shot and killed. Police say they believe they have killed all the attackers.

The attacks began just after 10pm (BST) when a van sped towards pedestrians at 50mph on the landmark bridge, scattering people across the road, leaving many injured.

The van then came to a stop at nearby Borough Market when at least three suspects began a marauding attack armed with large knives, stabbing people at random.

Mark Rowley, assistant commissioner for the Metropolitan police, said the three suspects were shot within eight minutes of the first call to emergency services.

British Transport Police has confirmed one of its on-duty officers was seriously injured in the attack. His injuries – to his head, face and leg – are serious but not thought to be life-threatening.

How the attacks unfolded

Saturday’s attacks began at around 10.08pm (BST) on the busy London Bridge, a main thoroughfare across the River Thames, where witnesses said a white van targeted pedestrians by driving into them at 50mph.

At least eight people were observed lying injured across the bridge, in a chilling echo of the attack on Westminster Bridge in March. 

The van continued down the bridge and onto Borough High Street, close to Borough Market, a popular nightspot with many bars and restaurants, where it came to a stop.

Witnesses said three men armed with knives exited the van, immediately attacking passersby. A witness that one of the attackers carried out a sustained attack on one man, stabbing him three times.

Pictures taken by documentary film maker Gabriele Sciotto showed one man on the ground near Borough Market after having been shot by police, with what appear to be canisters wrapped around his body. The suicide vests were a ‘hoax’, police said.

Witness Gerard Vowls said that he saw a woman being stabbed by three men at the south end of London Bridge towards Borough Market. He said he threw chairs, glasses and bottles at the attackers in a bid to stop them.

“They were running in all the pubs and all the bars and they were stabbing everyone”, he said. “I was throwing bottles at them, pint glasses, stools, chairs.”

He added: “They were running up going ‘this is for Allah’, they ran up and stabbed this girl, I don’t know how many times, ten times, maybe 15.

“She was going ‘help me, help me’ and I could not do anything. I tried to help her, I threw something at them.

“There was a bike on the floor, I tried to pick up the chair but it was locked to it, to throw it at them, to get them away from her.”

London mayor Sadiq Khan condemned a “deliberate and cowardly attack” on the capital. He said:

In the aftermath it was feared casualties may have been thrown into the River Thames, with police water boats called to the scene.

As the affected areas were evacuated, police were seen and heard shouting at people to leave the area as what appeared to be a manhunt began.

A witness in a hotel in the nearby Shard building told BBC News that they heard several gunshots following the incident on the bridge.

Underlying the shockwave sent through the heart of the capital, dramatic video emerged of pub goers being told to get down by police (see above).

The Metropolitan Police first said:

“We are dealing with an incident on #LondonBridge, when we have more information we will update this twitter feed.”

Police later posted more detailled updates.

Holly Jones, a BBC reporter, told the News Channel:

“I’m currently on London Bridge on the right hand side facing away from the Shard. A white van driver came speeding veering off the road into pedestrians. He hit five or six people. I would say there at least four severely injured people on the bridge and they are being treated by paramedics.”

The Daily Telegraph reported eye witnesses who said several people were stabbed during the incident, though this has yet to be confirmed. The Met Police was anxious, however, to play down unverified reports on social media.   

Police also released the instruction “run, hide, tell”.

Police arrived within two minutes with ambulances arriving within six to eight minutes.

People on the bridge have said they cannot find their loved ones. The location of the white van, believed to be involved, is not currently known.

Police boats are on the river and Holly Jones, a BBC reporter at the scene, said that people could be missing from the bridge, and that people may have been thrown from the bridge.

Journalist Will Heaven tweeted a picture from the scene.

He said he saw people who appeared to have been hit, and one being put into an ambulance.

“We saw injured people on the road, injured people on the pavement,” he told Sky News.

Theresa May said early on the incidents were being treated as a “potential act of terrorism”.

May said:

“Following updates from police and security officials, I can confirm that the terrible incident in London is being treated as a potential act of terrorism.

“This is a fast moving investigation. I want to express my huge gratitude to the police and emergency services who are on the scene. Our thoughts are with those who are caught up in these dreadful events.”

May is heading back to London, having cancelled an election event planned in the north of England on Sunday.

She is expected to chair a meeting of the Government’s emergency committee, known as COBRA, where she will receive a briefing from officials.

The US President Donald Trump used the attack to justify his controversial travel ban on people from predominately Muslims country.

He said:

“We need to be smart, vigilant and tough. We need the courts to give us back our rights. We need the Travel Ban as an extra level of safety!”

He added:

“Whatever the United States can do to help out in London and the U. K., we will be there - WE ARE WITH YOU. GOD BLESS!”

Severe threat level indicates an attack is “highly likely”.

This is a developing news story and will be updated. Check back for the fullest version. Follow HuffPost UK on Twitter here, and on Facebook here.