Six people have been confirmed killed and over 30 others injured in a terrorist attack in central London that involved a van which mowed through a crowd of pedestrians near London Bridge and a stabbing incident at nearby Borough Market on Saturday night.
The police said three persons they believed to be the attackers were shot dead.
Just after 10 p.m. local time, a white van swerved off the road and mowed down people walking on the bridge. One person is believed to have been killed in the incident.
The attackers soon jumped out of the van and started stabbing people at nearby Borough Market, a popular spot for pub and restaurant goers.
The police soon described the attacks as a “terrorist incident” and condoned off a large area of central London.
Gunfire could be heard through the street and police carried out controlled explosions.
A witness on London Bridge, told the BBC he saw three men stabbing people indiscriminately, shouting “this is for Allah” in a “rampage”.
The attack occurred less than two weeks after a suicide bombing at a concert in Manchester killed at least 22 people, most of them were children.
Three months ago, an attacker had ploughed into pedestrians on Westminster Bridge before stabbing a police officer to death near the British parliament.
There was another stabbing incident at the Vauxhall area about the same time as the attacks in the London Bridge and Borough Market but police later said the incident was unconnected to the terrorist attacks.
A witness, Gerard Vowls, told the Wall Street Journal that all the attackers wanted to do was to kill as many people as possible.
“All they wanted to do was kill people. It was the hardest thing I’ve ever seen.”
He said he saw three attackers stab a girl about 10-year-old about than 15 times.
“They stabbed a girl. So I follow them, toward Borough Market, they were running into the pubs and bars and stabbing everyone. They were running up, saying this is for Allah, and they run up and stabbed this girl 10, maybe 15 times.”
Another witness who gave his name as Ben told the BBC that he was with his wife Natalie when the attacks occurred.
“I saw a man in red with quite a large blade — I don’t know the measurement, I guess maybe 10 inches,” Ben said. “He was stabbing a man. He stabbed him about three times fairly calmly.” He was being stabbed quite coldly and he slumped to the ground.”
He said someone threw a table and a bottle at the man with the knife, but “then we heard three gunshots and we ran.”
The mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, called the attack a “deliberate and cowardly attack on innocent Londoners.
The attacks come less than a week before Britons vote in a national election. On social media, many people are already calling for the postponement of the election.
U.S. President Donald Trump offered to help. “Whatever the United States can do to help out in London and the UK, we will be there – we are with you. God bless!”, he said on Twitter.
Mr. Trump also spoke to the British prime minister, Theresa May, on the phone.
