Culture

London Police Have Killed Multiple Suspects Following Terror Incidents On And Near London Bridge

On Saturday evening, the London Metropolitan Police Service responded to what the BBC initially called a “major incident” on London Bridge, which may have blossomed into a multi-site attack (although details remain scarce on whether the incidents are connected). UK authorities have now declared that the incidents (at least two of them) are terror-related in nature and have killed at least six people and injured 30 more.

The above CNN clip features an eyewitness, Mark Roberts, who reported that a van appeared to target a group of pedestrians outside a pub. Roberts witnessed multiple victims (“five or six”), who were not moving, on the ground. He also said that one person was thrown “about 20 feet into the air” by the van’s impact. According to a live CNN report, another person reportedly jumped off the bridge to escape the vehicle.

Prior to the collision, the vehicle moved at a high rate of speed, possibly up to 50 mph, according to a BBC reporter who witnessed the incident and spoke with the New York Times. The BBC reported that police sought three suspects. (Update – 11:30pm EST: The Guardian has reported that police shot and killed the three suspects — who were wearing “hoax” bomb vests — within eight minutes of the first calls to emergency services.)

In the below video, CNN relayed more mayhem at a restaurant in Borough Market, not far from London Bridge. A man reportedly entered the eatery and stabbed at least two people. It’s not known whether this incident is separate or related to the collision.

Officers also responded to a possible third incident in the Vauxhall area, according to the Metropolitan Police on Twitter.

Witnesses have also relayed news of possible gunfire on London Bridge, although those details have not been confirmed.

British Prime Minister Theresa May stated police are treating this as “a possible terror attack” (which has now been made official as a terror investigation). Meanwhile, President Trump has been briefed on the situation. He retweeted unconfirmed information via the Drudge Report and then tweeted a plug for his “Travel Ban as an extra level of safety.”

This incident follows a March 22 attack on Westminster Bridge in London. During that event, Khalid Masood killed four people and injured dozens more while driving into a crowd of pedestrians. Police concluded that this incident was “Islamist-related terrorism.” And on May 22, over 20 people were killed by a suicide bomber at an Ariana Grande concert in Manchester (about three hours away from London).

Eyewitness Kaine Pieri tweeted footage of the initial chaos near London Bridge as police secured the area and cleared hundreds of people from the scene.

This story is developing and we will provide additional information as it becomes available.

(Via CNN, BBC, Fox News& New York Times)