London Bridge terrorist attack

05 June 2017

Jeremy Corbyn seems to have reversed his earlier call for Theresa May to resign as Prime Minister, Sky News reports.

The Labour leader had said on Monday morning that the PM should resign after presiding over 20,000 police officers being cut when she was home secretary.

The left-wing leader, however, rowed back on his appeal, saying he was merely “articulating what is deep anger amongst those people that have seen 20,000 police officers lose their jobs.”

He added: “I think we should vote on Thursday to decide who our MPs are and decide who our government is.”

Metropolitan Police commander for engagement Mak Chishty has called on the Muslim community to do more to tackle extremism.  

Speaking outside Scotland Yard, the highest-ranking Muslim officer read out a statement on behalf of the Muslim community which said the London Bridge attack was an assault on all communities, including Muslims.

It urged “all sections within their own communities to root out the scourge of terrorism which hides amongst their own people and masquerades as Islam.”

It added: “The Muslim community is alarmed and concerned that this attack by three people, which would have required planning ... was not reported.

"It is the Islamic duty of every Muslim to be loyal to the country in which they live. We are now asking questions to understand how extremism and hatred has taken hold
within some elements of our own communities."

Meanwhile, hundreds of imams and religious leaders from across the country made an unprecedented move by refusing to carry out the traditional Islamic funeral prayer for the terrorists, something which is generally performed for everyone, regardless of their actions.  

In a statement, they condemned the attack and called for all other religious authorities to follow suit in refusing to grant the “privilege” of the funeral prayer.

It added that the “indefensible actions” of the terrorists are “completely at odds with the lofty teachings of Islam.”

The number of people receiving critical care for injuries sustained in the London Bridge and Borough Market terrorist attack has fallen from 21 to 18, NHS England has said in a brief update.

It means King’s College Hospital, the Royal London Hospital and University College Hospital each have one fewer patients receiving critical care.

The London Evening Standard has splashed Monday’s edition with a picture of Canadian Christine Archibald, the first victim named in the London Bridge terrorist attack Saturday evening.

The front-page photo shows her with her fiancée, Tyler Ferguson. She reportedly died in his arms after being attacked by three men.

The perpetrators, who are yet to be named but are known to police, ploughed a van into a crowd on London Bridge before going on to stab people around Borough Market.

London Mayor Sadiq Khan and the Metropolitan Police Commissioner Cressida Dick have given a join statement in which they condemned the “cowardly and evil” acts by the perpetrators of the London Bridge attack.

Speaking at the scene of the attack, Dick said there are a “whole load of things to review” in the security system, while suggesting the “best solution” to ensure public safety in London would be having highly-mobile police officers. Dick, however, dismissed the idea of arming every police officer in the city.

Meanwhile, amid cuts to police funding, Khan said he would make sure the Metropolitan Police have the “tools” to ensure the safety of Londoners.

His comments come as Prime Minister Theresa May faces growing calls to resign for presiding over the cutting of 20,000 police officers during her tenure as home secretary.

Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn has joined growing calls for Theresa May to resign as Prime Minister over failures on security and cuts to police budgets.

Corbyn said he is backing similar calls for the PM to resign by “very responsible” people who are concerned about her record.

It comes after May accused Corbyn on Monday morning of an “abdication of leadership” over Brexit as she claimed the Labour chief is “not fit” to draw the UK out of the EU with a good deal.

The Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby has said religious leaders must take responsibility to counter violence perpetuated in the name of faith.

Speaking in the aftermath of the London Bridge terrorist attack, which the so-called Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS/ISIL) has claimed responsibility for, Welby told the BBC’s Today program that “religious tradition, scriptures have been twisted and misused by people” throughout the centuries to justify acts of violence.

“If something is happening in our faith tradition, we have to take responsibility for being very clear in countering it,” the Archbishop said.

He added that dismissing the relation between incidents such as the London Bridge attack and the Islamic religion “is not getting us anywhere.”

Theresa May has said “life and the democratic process” must go on following the London Bridge terrorist attack on Saturday evening.

Speaking at a campaign event at the Royal United Services Institute (RUSI) on Monday morning, May pledged to give “strong and stable” leadership, unlike her rival Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn, who has “no idea” what he wants for a post-Brexit Britain.

If Corbyn becomes prime minister, he would “fail” in his duty to keep the country safe given his views on scrapping the Trident nuclear weapons system. The Labour manifesto is committed to maintaining and renewing the weapons.  

In a brief, pre-recorded statement released after chairing the COBRA emergency committee, Theresa May said the identity of the three London Bridge attackers are known to police.

She said the national terror threat level remains at “severe” and that security measures have been strengthened around London’s main bridges.

The terror threat level had been temporarily raised to “critical” in the immediate aftermath of the Manchester Arena bombing before returning to severe.

The Prime Minister also said 11 people are now in police custody following the attack.  

Labour’s Barry Gardiner has accused Prime Minister Theresa May of undermining public safety by cutting security and intelligence services while she was home secretary.

Gardiner said the Prime Minister, who as home secretary presided over the cutting 20,000 police officers, must “take responsibility” for scaling back on security services.

It comes after Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn accused the Tory leader of trying “to protect the public on the cheap.”

Four police officers were injured in the London Bridge attack on Saturday evening, Scotland Yard has confirmed.

Among those injured was a British Transport Police (BTP) officer who was stabbed in the head as he attempted to thwart the attack.

Another of those injured was an off-duty Metropolitan Police officer who remains in a serious condition in hospital after being stabbed.

Two other on-duty Met policemen were injured, one of them a plainclothes officer who received stitches for a head injury, and another uniformed officer who sustained an arm injury.

Former Prime Minister David Cameron’s strategy chief has hit out at Theresa May, accusing her of “security failures,” as the UK has been hit by three terrorist attacks in just three months.

Steve Hilton’s comments come as general election campaigns resume after being halted in a mark of respect following Saturday’s  terrorist attack.

The Greek embassy has confirmed that one of its citizens based in London was among those injured in the Saturday night attack.

The young man required surgery after being stabbed in the kidney and is now in “stable condition,” the Guardian reports.

Barriers have been established along three of London’s main bridges to separate pedestrians from passing traffic.

Transport for London (TfL) confirmed fences had been erected on Lambeth, Waterloo and Westminster bridges.

Speaking on Monday, Cressida Dick, London’s Metropolitan Police chief, said that the three attacks carried out by Islamist militants in Britain in the last three months have not been directed from overseas but have had a “primarily domestic centre of gravity.”

“There are in the five that we have foiled and these three recent attacks, in some of them there are undoubtedly international dimensions,” Dick told the BBC, according to Reuters.

“We will always be looking to see if anything has been directed from overseas but I would say the majority of the threat that we are facing at the moment does not appear to be directed from overseas.”

Cressida Dick also said police have seized a “huge amount of forensic material” while carrying out searches throughout east London on Monday.

“We’ve carried out searches in a variety of places in east London and we’ve seized a huge amount of forensic material, so we’re working very quickly,” Dick told BBC, as cited by Reuters.

“A very high priority for us obviously is to try to understand whether they were working with anyone else, whether anybody else was involved in the planning of this attack and to find out the background to it,” she added.

A number of people have been detained after officers from the Met’s Counter Terrorism Command entered two properties in early morning raids, one in Newham and another in Barking.

Searches are ongoing at both addresses, police said in a statement.

The lights of the Eiffel Tower were switched off in Paris as the French paid their respects to the victims of the terrorist attack in London, while in Berlin, the Brandenburg Gate was lit up with the colours of the Union Jack.

04 June 2017

Metropolitan Police assistant commissioner Mark Rowley has issued an updated statement in relation to the ongoing police operation in the aftermath of Saturday’s attack, in which he thanked the media for their support and restraint in avoiding speculation.

“We would like to thank the media for their continued support, restraint and understanding in not speculating as to who the suspects are in this fast-moving investigation,” he wrote in a statement on Scotland Yard’s website.

“I would like to assure them and the public that this is directly assisting the progression of the investigation and confirm we will release the identities of the three men directly responsible for the attacks yesterday, Saturday 3 June, as soon as operationally possible.”

He expressed hope that transport routes in the affected areas around London Bridge and Borough Market would return to normal Monday but asked the public to consult the TFL website for the most up-to-date information.

He reaffirmed statements made earlier Sunday that the public should expect increased armed police on the streets and confirmed “increased physical measures on London’s bridges to keep the public safe.”

So far, police have made 12 arrests and are searching four properties. During operations in the Newham area, no additional arrests were made.

Of those arrested in the Barking raids this morning, seven are women and five are men, and all are between the ages of 19 and 60.

So far, one 55-year-old man has been released without charge.

All of those arrested have been detained under the Terrorism Act, Rowley said.

No additional information was provided about the other detainees.

A Canadian victim of the London attack has been identified as Christine Archibald of Castlegar, British Columbia.

"We grieve the loss of our beautiful, loving daughter and sister. She had room in her heart for everyone and believed strongly that every person was to be valued and respected," a statement from the Archibald family reads, as cited by CBC.

"She lived this belief, working in a shelter for the homeless until she moved to Europe to be with her fiancé. She would have had no understanding of the callous cruelty that caused her death."

Archibald is the first victim of the attack to be officially identified.

ISIS has claimed responsibility for the London attack through its online propaganda news service on Sunday, reports Rita Katz, Director of SITE Intelligence Group, on her Twitter page.

READ MORE: ISIS claims responsibility for London Bridge attack

In conjunction with the current fundraising efforts for Manchester, The Red Cross announced today that it is launching a nationwide UK Solidarity Fund, a “broader appeal to provide urgent help whenever and wherever similar attacks take place.”

“The events in these two great British cities in the last two weeks are shocking and horrifying. Our thoughts are with all of those affected at this terribly difficult time,” Mike Adamson, CEO of the British Red Cross said.

“The new UK Solidarity Fund will support victims of the attacks and their families, and provide a way for people to donate to help those affected in their time of need… It will also help us to stand prepared to swiftly provide support in the event of future incidents,” he added.

Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn has said during a speech in Carlisle that “difficult” talks are needed with Saudi Arabia and other Gulf countries about funding Islamist extremism.

"We do need to have some difficult conversations starting with Saudi Arabia and other Gulf states that have funded and fuelled extremist ideology," Corbyn said.

London Mayor Sadiq Khan has tweeted that “Londoners will come together on Potters Fields at 6pm tomorrow to remember the victims of Saturday’s terror attack.”

Former French Prime Minister Manuel Valls has confirmed on Twitter that one French national was fatally wounded by the London Bridge attackers on Saturday.

Facebook has responded to Theresa May's calls for “governments to reach international agreements that regulate cyberspace to prevent the spread of extremism and terrorist planning.”

“We want to provide a service where people feel safe.  That means we do not allow groups or people that engage in terrorist activity, or posts that express support for terrorism.  We want Facebook to be a hostile environment for terrorists,” Facebook’s director of policy Simon Milner, said in a statement sent to RT.

“Using a combination of technology and human review, we work aggressively to remove terrorist content from our platform as soon as we become aware of it — and if we become aware of an emergency involving imminent harm to someone's safety, we notify law enforcement.”

“Online extremism can only be tackled with strong partnerships. We have long collaborated with policymakers, civil society, and others in the tech industry, and we are committed to continuing this important work together,” Milner said.

Metropolitan Police Assistant Commissioner Mark Rowley addressed the press with details of the police response to the attack. 

“In the region of 50 bullets were fired by those eight officers” and that this was “an unprecedented number of rounds," Rowley said. 

He also said that during the operation to subdue the attackers a member of the public suffered a gunshot wound though their injuries were not life threatening.

“As the officers confronted the terrorists a member of the public suffered a gunshot wound,” he said.

Rowley confirmed that 36 people remain in hospital one of whom is a police officer, who was off-duty at the time of the attack, though their injuries are not life threatening.

He concluded by asking members of the public to “remain calm and vigilant” and report any suspicious behavior to authorities.

Rowley said security cordons will remain in place around London Bridge after attack.

Canadian PM Justin Trudeau has confirmed that a Canadian citizen was among those killed during Saturday’s terrorist attack.

 “Canada strongly condemns the senseless attack that took place last night in London, United Kingdom, which killed and injured many innocent people. I am heartbroken that a Canadian is among those killed,” he said in a statement.

NHS England says 21 of the 48 people injured in Saturday's attack are in a critical condition.

Local council leader of Barking & Dagenham, the area in which 12 people were arrested earlier on Sunday, has released a statement in relation to the attack and the arrests.

 “Residents will be aware of police investigations underway in Barking following last night’s terrorist attack on the capital. We stand alongside representatives of all faiths and communities in condemning this attack,” Councillor Darren Rodwell said.  

The United Kingdom will observe a minutes silence at 11am on Tuesday 6 June for victims of the London terrorist attack, the Prime Minister announces via Twitter.

British Transport Police have released a statement providing details about their officer who was injured during Saturday’s attack.

 Chief Constable Paul Crowther said: “Having visited the officer in hospital shortly after he was admitted for treatment, I was able to hear his account of what happened last night. It became clear that he showed enormous courage in the face of danger, as did many others who were at the scene and rushed to help. Although he is seriously unwell, he was able to recount how he faced the attackers armed only with his baton, outside London Bridge station.”

British Transport Police said their injured officer faced knife wielding attackers with a baton.

All 12 arrests came in the Barking area of east London and searches at several addreses in the area are ongoing, police said.

“Officers from the Met's Counter Terrorism Command have this morning, Sunday 4 June, arrested 12 people in Barking, east London, in connection with last night's incidents in London Bridge and the Borough Market area. Searches of a number of addresses in Barking are continuing,” the police statement read.

London Metropolitan Police say they have arrested 12 people in connection with last night's attack which killed 7 and left 48 people injured, some critical.

Metropolitan Police Federation confirms that some of their officers are among the injured.

 “I can confirm that sadly some of our colleagues were among the injured in the attack last night. I join all UK police colleagues in wishing them a swift recovery. We are offering them our full support,” Chairman Ken Marsh said in a statement.

US President Donald Trump has criticized London Mayor Sadiq Khan for his comments following the London Bridge attack.

UK home secretary Amber Rudd said that the London Bridge attackers were “radical Islamist terrorists.”  

"As the prime minister said, we are confident about the fact that they were radical Islamist terrorists, the way they were inspired, and we need to find out more about where this radicalization came from," Rudd said, according to Reuters, citing Britain's ITV television.

The PM said that the terrorists were “bound together by the single evil extremist ideology” that is a “perversion of Islam and a perversion of the truth.”

May said that “defeating this ideology is one of the greatest challenges of our time” but will “only be defeated when we turn people's minds away from this violence.”

“We cannot allow this ideology the safe space for which to breed,” saying that more action was needed to prevent extremists from organizing online.

May also stressed that there needs to be an international agreement to “regulate cyberspace” where extremists have “safe spaces.”

“Enough is enough everybody needs to go about their lives” she added.

She also confirmed that the “general election will go ahead as planned on Thursday.”

Prime Minister Theresa May is speaking live outside No 10 Downing Street.

UK prime minister Theresa May tweeted: “I have just led a meeting of COBR in response to the appalling London attack and I will soon be making a statement in Downing Street.”

National election campaigning has been suspended by Britain’s leading Conservative Party, the main opposition party Labour, as well as the Green Party and the Scottish National Party.

UKIP have broken with the other main political parties by refusing to suspend their campaign. Leader Paul Nuttall said that “disrupting our democracy is what the extremists want.”

In an earlier statement Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn said “today we will grieve.”

MET commissioner Cressida Dick confirmed the death toll from Saturday’s terrorist attack has increased to 7 people.

During a press conference, Dick said that emergency services responded well to a “ghastly” attack.

"I appreciate this has been terrifying for many people. Londoners should remain calm be very vigilant but if see anything suspicious or concerned please contact anti-terror hotline,” said Commissioner Dick.

The commissioner said that she doesn’t “believe any suspects (are) at large and now the highest priority is to identify the suspects as soon as possible.”

She confirmed that more patrols will be deployed including armed officers.

All underground lines and overground trains not running to London Bridge station Sunday, which will remain closed for the rest of the day.

Two of the five hospitals treating people injured in the London Bridge terrorist attack tweeted updates early Sunday morning.

Terrorism Police UK have urged anyone with images or film from last night's attack to upload it to http://www.ukpoliceimageappeal.co.uk

London Mayor Sadiq Khan said that 2017 general election should not be postponed.

“I’m not an advocate of postponing the election. I’m a passionate believer in democracy and making sure that we vote and we recognize actually that one of the things these terrorists hate is voting, they hate democracy” he said.

According to Khan, the official threat level remained at severe, but he urged people not to panic.

“One of the things that we can do is show that we aren’t going to be cowed, is by voting on Thursday and making sure that we understand the importance of our democracy, our civil liberties and our human rights.”

UK should figure out “why its counter-terrorism and counter-extremism strategies keep failing over and over again,” social commentator Mo Ansar told RT.

“The scenes – people being knife-attacked, trucks and vans running [over] people in the street – are becoming too regular aspects in the streets of Britain. We are going to ask a serious question about how we stop this,” Ansar said.

At least two French citizens were injured in the attack, the French president’s office said in a statement, as cited by local media.

The UK’s ruling Conservative Party on Sunday suspended national campaigning for the 2017 general election after the attack, Theresa May’s spokesperson said, as cited by Reuters. The UK general election will take place June 8.

“The Conservative Party will not be campaigning nationally today. We will review as the day goes on and as more details of the attack emerge,” the spokesperson said.

London’s ambulance service confirmed that the nearly 50 people injured in the attack had been taken to various hospitals. “We took 48 patients to five hospitals across London and treated a number of others at the scene for minor injuries. Police have confirmed that sadly, six people also died at the scene,” according to the statement.

The London Ambulance Service now says that over 30 patients are being treated at five hospitals in London, up from a figure of "at least 20" given earlier during the night.

Assistant Commissioner Mark Rowley has given the fullest picture so far of the attack.

The Metropolitan Police said they first received calls at 22:08 pm on Saturday night, when bystanders said that a white van rammed into a group of civilians on London Bridge, before crashing into a railing near Borough Market.

“The suspects then left the vehicle and a number of people were stabbed, including an on-duty British Transport Police officer who was responding to the incident at London Bridge. He received serious but not life-threatening injuries. His family has been informed,” said a statement from Scotland Yard.

Police say that the attackers were dead “within eight minutes” of the first emergency call.

“Armed officers responded very quickly and bravely, confronting three male suspects who were shot and killed in Borough Market. The suspects had been confronted and shot by the police within eight minutes of the first call. The suspects were wearing what looked like explosive vests but these were later established to be hoaxes,” said the Met Police.

Police say that they "believe" that three men were responsible for the terror attack - all three have been shot dead by security forces. Officials left the caveat that "more work" needed to be done on investigating the incident.

In addition, six civilians died as the result of the vehicular assault, and the stabbings that followed.

Blue Thunder, a fast-response unit of the UK's special forces, the SAS, has been deployed to the streets of London. Their trademark navy helicopter, which earned them the nickname, landed at London Bridge earlier during the night.

As is customary during emergencies, both police and the health services have been overwhelmed with calls.

"If you are safe please let friends and family know. This will relieve pressure on Casualty Bureau," the Met Police has tweeted.

The London Ambulance Service has said that none of its staff have been hurt in the aftermath of the incident.

London Bridge, which connects the northern and southern sides of the city, will remain closed overnight British Transport Police have stated. The area is still currently behind a police cordon.

Met Police have now told Sky News that they believe that a suspect is still at large.

"In the face of this tragedy, France more than ever stands beside the United Kingdom. My thoughts go to the victims and their loved ones," French President Emmanuel Macron has tweeted.

Sky News has reported that Met Police still cannot confirm that all the terrorists are accounted for.

The London Ambulance Service says that it has transported "at least 20 patients" wounded in the attack to six different hospitals across the city, as well as treating more people at the scene of what it called a "major incident."

Eyewitnesses have described the moment when the knife-wielding gang emerged out of the van, after crashing, following their pavement rampage.

Witness Erick Siguenza told the BBC that one of the assailants cried “This is for Allah!" as he ran towards bystanders.

Mark Roberts, who was on London Bridge, said that he was literally paralyzed by fear, when the incident unfolded.

"I was thinking: Which way do I run to get away?" he told Reuters. “This was the Westminster attack all over again.”

James Cox, an editor at The Sun, which has its offices near the site of the attack, reported that the several loud bangs that have been heard in the area over the past hour are controlled explosions.

Guy's and St.Thomas', a large hospital near the site of the attack, remains on lockdown, though it appears to be a precautionary measure.

The BBC has shown what is purportedly a photograph of one of one of the alleged attackers, lying on the ground with canisters strapped to his body, after he was shot by the police.

Sadiq Khan, the Mayor of London, has issued a statement, calling the incident a "horrific terrorist attacks," and warning Londoners that "the situation is still unfolding."

"I condemn [the attack] in the strongest possible terms. There is no justification whatsoever for such barbaric acts," wrote Khan, a Labour politician, elected last year.

The UK tabloid The Sun is reporting that police shot two of the attackers dead, and that there are seven fatalities and 20 injuries among the victims, though there still has not been any official confirmation of the numbers.

The London Ambulance Service has released a statement specifying the nature of the medical aid it is providing, without clarifying the number of casualties, or severity of injuries.

“We have sent a number of ambulance crews, advanced paramedics and specialist response teams to the scene, with the first of our medics arriving in six minutes. An advanced trauma team from London’s Air Ambulance has also been dispatched by car," said London Ambulance Service Assistant Director of Operations, Peter Rhodes. “Our initial priority is to assess the level and nature of injuries, and ensure that those people in most need are treated first and taken to hospital."

03 June 2017

The attacks on London Bridge, and at Borough Market next door, have been officially declared "terrorist incidents." The third attack that was being investigated was an unrelated stabbing.

Prime Minister Theresa May has released an official statement to the UK media, calling the "terrible incident" a "potential act of terrorism."

Vauhxall and Bank tube stations, which were closed at the behest of the police, have now reopened. London Bridge station is still in shutdown, and local reports say that the emergency has left those who were in the area at the time of the attack trapped, and struggling to order taxis.

Jeremy Corbyn, the Labour leader, has released a tweet, commiserating with the victims.

The Sunday Telegraph reports that sources within the government have told it that the attacks "appear to be" terror-related.

Theresa May, who has been campaigning around the country, with the general election only four days away, has now returned to London, according to 10 Downing Street.

US President Donald Trump has also been briefed, and has since posted a series of tweets.

Police initially erected a 500 meter cordon around London Bridge, where a van first hit pedestrians, before three men jumped out, according to witnesses, and have since extended it.

There is television footage of those caught inside being told to walk out of the area, with their hands on their heads.

"More than one fatality" has now been confirmed by the police at the London Bridge site.

Police have issued a Run, Hide, Tell warning for civilians, which is designed as a response to mass attacks in public places.

Police have confirmed three incidents: a “vehicle in collision with pedestrians” on London Bridge, just after 10 pm local times, followed by reports of stabbings in nearby Borough Market, and an as yet unconfirmed attack at Vauhxall, located to miles to the southwest.