‘Act of Terror’ as Van Hits Pedestrians in London Bridge, Stabbings, Multiple Injuries -

AGENDA 21 RADIO

Police responded to an incident in central London on Saturday night following a report a van has hit a number of pedestrians on London Bridge. The Met Police has confirmed they responded to reports of stabbings in nearby Borough Market. The Prime Minister confirmed the incident is being treated as an act of terrorism.

At 2208hrs British Summer Time (BST), Metropolitan Police officers responded to reports of a vehicle in collision with pedestrians.

Witnesses have said a white van mounted the pavement and ran over pedestrians.

Armed police arrived at the scene, and around 80 medics treated casualties on the scene.

BBC reporter Holly Jones, who was on the bridge at the time of the incident, said the van was driven by a man and was “probably travelling at about 50 miles an hour”.

Ms. Jones said the van, which was travelling from the direction of central London, headed towards the south side of the river.

An eyewitness told Sky News he saw people who seemed to have been run over and people being placed in an ambulance covered in blankets.

The Metropolitan has confirmed seven casualties, in addition to three attackers being shot dead by armed police, and 48 injuries.

Updates to the live blog continue below…

BBC

14:20 BST – Prime Minister of Israel responds to news of the London Bridge Terror attack

The prime minister of Israel Binyamin Netanyahu’s office tweeted: “London Bridge will not fall. Together we will vanquish terror. #LondonAttacks”

The note of support comes after Israel’s Foreign Ministry and members of the Knesset on Sunday condemned the “horrific” London terror attacks, with Public Security Minister Gilad Erdan remarking that now there was a “greater understanding” in Britain of Israel’s long-suffering history of Palestinian terrorism.

13:40 BST – 12 Arrests in Barking

London Metropolitan Police have confirmed that officers from the Met’s Counter Terrorism Command have 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.

For more on this story read here.

13:00 BST – Report – first police officer on the scene took on all terrorists until forced to the ground. In serious condition in hospital.

According to Sky News sources, the first police officer on the scene, a rugby player, took on all the terrorists until he was forced to ground. He is reportedly in serious condition in hospital.

12:35 BST – U.S. President Donald Trump comments on Sadiq Kahn’s statement that Londoners “shouldn’t be alarmed”

London Mayor Sadiq Khan told media earlier on:

“Londoners should be aware that there will be additional armed and unarmed police officers on our streets from tonight in order to keep Londoners, and all those visiting out city safe.

“I want to reassure all Londoners, and all our visitors, not to be alarmed. Our city remains one of the safest in the world.

“London is the greatest city in the world and we stand together in the face of those who seek to harm us and destroy our way of life.

“We always have and we always will. Londoners will never be cowed by terrorism.”

12:30 BST – Arrests following raids in Barking

Five people are reportedly being held after armed police raided flats in Barking following last night’s Islamist terror attack near London Bridge.

For more from Breitbart London read here.

12:00 BST – Man photographed attacker

Gabrielle Sciotto, who took the photograph, described the image to the BBC who said the suspect appears to have materials strapped to his body which looked like a bomb and is bleeding from his left arm.

“I saw three men with this belt with some sort of bomb-looking explosive on them.

“I thought it wasn’t real. It didn’t look real. I don’t know if that was or wasn’t.”

“By the time a couple more police came to the scene, and they surrounded these people and they shot them down.”

Police confirmed that the explosive vests were hoaxes.

11:00 BST – Prime Minister Theresa May’s Statement Following Chairing COBRA – Britain has become “too tolerant of extremism”, vows to tackle “safe spaces” of Islamist extremism.

Prime Minister Theresa May made a statement outside of 10 Downing Street following chairing the meeting of COBRA:

Referencing the Westminster terror attack and Manchester attack, Ms. May said: “In terms of planning and execution, the recent attacks are not connected. But we believe we are experiencing a new trend in the threats we face as terrorism breeds terrorism and perpetrators are inspired to attack not only on the basis of carefully constructed plots after years of planning and training and not even of attackers radicalising online, but copying one another.”

“We cannot and must not pretend that things can continue as they are. Things need to change and need to change in four important ways”:

1) Ms. May stated that the attacks are bound together by “the single ideology of Islamist extremism” which she called “a perversion of Islam”.

“Defeating this ideology is the greatest challenge of our time. But we cannot defeat it through military intervention alone” or permanent defensive counterterrorism operations. She said it will only be defeated when “people’s minds are turned away” from Islamism and they are “made to understand that our values…are superior to anything offered by the preachers of and supporters of hate”.

2) “Safe spaces” where this ideology is allowed to breed online must be tackled, she said, saying that they need to work with foreign governments to reach “international agreements that regulate cyberspace to prevent the spread of extremism and terrorism planning”.

3) The prime minister also targeted “safe spaces that exist in the real world”. “Yes that means military action to destroy ISIS in Iraq and Syria, but that also means taking action here at home”

“Yes that means military action to destroy ISIS in Iraq and Syria, but that also means taking action here at home.”

“There is, to be frank, too much tolerance of extremism in the country. So we need to become far more robust in identifying it and stamping it out across the public sector and across society.

“That will require often embarrassing and difficult conversations. But the whole of our country needs to come together to take on this extremism and we need to live our lives not as a series of separted, segregated communities but as one truly United Kingdom.”

4) Robust counter terrorism strategy: “As the nature of the threat become more complex, fragmented, and hidden, especially online, the strategy needs to keep up. so in light of what we are learning about the changing threat we need to review Britain’s counter terrorism strategy to make sure police and secruity services have all the power they need. And if we need to increase the length of custodial sentences for terror-related ofences, even apparently less serious offences, that is what we will do.”

“It is time to say enough is enough. Everbody must go about their lives as they normally would.”

The prime minister stated that the Conservative and other parties will suspend campaigning for Sunday, but the election will go ahead as planned on Thursday.

10:40 BST – Live police operating in Barking

Sky News reports a block of flats in Barking have been taped off and a police operation is underway.

10:25 BST – Theresa May statement on the attack expected Sunday morning

The prime minister has led a meeting of crisis response committee COBRA and will make a statement Sunday morning.

10:00 BST – UKIP Leader Paul Nuttall confirms the party will not suspend national campaigning.

In a press release released Sunday morning, Mr. Nuttall stated: “With more people murdered on the streets of our capital city last night by Islamist terrorists, it is more important than ever for us to confront this evil with the democratic principles that have made this country what it is.

“Our hearts go out to the family and friends of those who lost their lives last night. The courage and quick response of our emergency services have yet again saved countless lives and in the midst of such a tragedy, deserve our respect and admiration.

“It is time to start honouring our dead with more than just words. The only guarantee that will come from our choosing to stall the democratic process again will be more attacks; it is what these cowards want us to do.

“For those of us seeking to serve the people of this country, it is our duty to drive the dialogue on how best to confront and defeat this brand of terrorism. That is what UKIP will be doing today and beyond. Therefore, I refuse to suspend campaigning because this is precisely what the extremists would want us to do.”

The Labour Party, Conservatives, and SNP have confirmed they will be suspending campaigning.

09:50 BST – Parts of London Bridge return to normal, police and cordons remain in place

Activity has resumed on London Bridge Sunday morning with Double Decker buses seen crossing the bridge. However, police cordons remain in place.

Photo by Rachel Megawhat/Breitbart London

09:35 BST – Metropolitan Police Commissioner Cressida Dick Confirms Seventh Death, Incident “under control”

Metropolitan Police Commissioner Cressida Dick has confirmed that seven members of the public have died in addition to the 3 attackers, 48 people were injured and taken to hospital for treatment.

“We believe this incident is under control”, but the cordon will remain in place as police need t conduct a thorough search to ensure everyone is accounted for and to make area safe.

“At the moment we believe there are three attackers, and they are dead,” Ms. Dick confirmed to reporters.

09:20 BST – Armed Officers at Borough Market Sunday Morning

Armed officers with ballistic shields are currently moving through the Borough Market area carrying out searches.

09:15 BST – Metropolitan Police are appealing for images and film of the attack

6:25 BST – London Ambulance now updates that 48 injured people from the attack were taken to five hospitals

5:50 BST – Dutch populist leader Geert Wilders:

4:55 BST – British Transport Police report one of their officers is seriously injured in the attack

4:35 BST – London Ambulance updates patient count from attack to 30

4:05 BST – Scotland Yard confirms at least six dead from terror attack

During a press conference, Metropolitan Police Assistant Commissioner Mark Rowley stated that six people were dead and three attackers were shot and killed by police.

“You will understand that our knowledge of the incident is still growing but what we understand at the present time is:

At 22:08hrs yesterday evening we began to receive reports that a vehicle had struck pedestrians on London Bridge.
The vehicle continued to drive from London Bridge to 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.
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. …”

Full statement here.

03:45 BST – U.S. President Donald Trump calls UK Prime Minister Theresa May. Statement from the White House:

THE WHITE HOUSE
Office of the Press Secretary
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
June 3, 2017

READOUT OF PRESIDENT DONALD J. TRUMP’S CALL WITH PRIME MINISTER THERESA MAY OF THE UNITED KINGDOM

President Donald J. Trump spoke with Prime Minister Theresa May of the United Kingdom today. The President offered his condolences for the brutal terror attacks on June 3 in central London. He praised the heroic response of police and other first responders and offered the full support of the United States Government in investigating and bringing those responsible for these heinous acts to justice.

###

03:05 BST – London Ambulance confirms at least 20 patients have been taken to six hospitals across London

02:50 BST – Photo appears to show a suspect with a canister strapped to him

A photo taken by London-based photographer Gabriele Sciotto appears to show a man with a canister strapped to his body near the initial terror attack site.

02:30 BST – Eyewitness account of stabbing on London Bridge

BBC’s political correspondent Mark Lobel interviews a man who witnessed the stabbing on London Bridge during the attack:

02:00 BST – London Mayor Sadiq Khan releases statement

Khan, who said last September that the threat of terror attacks is just “part and parcel of living in a big city,” just released a statement acknowledging Saturday’s attacks were acts of terror:

We don’t yet know the full details, but this was a deliberate and cowardly attack on innocent Londoners and visitors to our city enjoying their Saturday night. I condemn it in the strongest possible terms. There is no justification whatsoever for such barbaric acts.

His full statement here.

01:25 BST – Air Ambulance emergency services, SAS deployed

Emergency services have confirmed an advanced trauma unit from the Air Ambulance has been dispatched to the scene

There is also speculation that the SAS has been deployed.

01:15 BST – Telegraph reports assailant shouted “this is for Allah”

The Telegraph has reported that an eye witness on London Bridge told the BBC he saw three men stabbing people indiscriminately, shouting “this is for Allah”.

He told the paper that he saw a van driving on the pavement with people running out of the way before three men got out.

“They literally just started kicking them, punching them, they took out knives. It was a rampage really,” he said

“They headed down towards Southwark Cathedral towards the bar, and starting running at people.

“People at the bar started fighting back. then the three of them decided to make their way up to the bridge

“A woman was staring at them and they started stabbing her.

“Throughout the whole way across the bridge, there were people littered across bleeding. People were trying to help each other.”

He added he had heard them shouting “this is for Allah”

01:00 BST – Reuters reporting witness saw people having their throats cut

Reuters is reporting that a person who was on London Bridge after an incident on Saturday told a Reuters reporter that she saw three people who appeared to have their throats cut.

00:45 BST – The incident is ongoing and members of the public are being advised to avoid the London Bridge and Borough Market areas

00:25 BST – Prime Minister to chair COBRA, confirms incident being treated as “potential act of terrorism” reaction from U.S. President Donald Trump

Prime Minister Theresa May will chair a meeting of the crisis response committee COBRA on Sunday morning.

She said that the “terrible incident” in London is being treated as a “potential act of terrorism”.

Ms. May said: “Following updates from police and security officials, I can fconfirm 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.”

U.S. President Donald J. Trump has voiced his support for the Britain at this time.

00:15 BST Sunday – Vauxhall area cleared, station reopened

Police have confirmed that Vauxhall Station has reopened.

23:50 BST – Met Police advise people to “Run, Hide, Tell”

Police have issued safety guidelines for people in the area. Metropolitan Police have confirmed they are responding to incidenst in London Bridge, nearby Borough Market, and Vauxhall.

23:45 BST – Met Police confirm reports of stabbings in Borough Market near London Bridge

Metropolitan Police confirmed they are responding to reports of stabbings and shots have been fired. Officers are now also responding to an incident in the Vauxhall area, south of the Thames.

23:30 BST – Downing Street confirms PM in contact with officials

Downing Street said: “The prime minister is in contact with officials and is being regularly updated on the incident at London Bridge.”

23:26 BST – Met Police confirm they are responding to an incident in nearby Borough Market

Metropolitan Police have confirmed they are also responding to an incident in Borough Market. Armed police are at the scene.

Images from the scene also show multiple police vehicles attending.

23:00 BST – video footage from inside a nearby restaurant, armed police entering

Video footage from inside a restaurant in the area close to the attack appears to show patrons being advised to get down on the floor should armed police enter, later patrons are advised to get down by armed officers.