London: Police arrest many more in raids around London

[Anthea]

London attack: Fatalities after vehicle and stabbing incidents

More than one person has died in a "terrorist" incident in central London which is still ongoing, police have said.

Armed officers and ambulances were alerted to reports a van hit people on London Bridge shortly after 22:00 BST.

Police later went to nearby Borough Market where they were responding to reports of stabbings in the area which is known for its restaurants and bars.

Prime Minister Theresa May described the incidents as "dreadful events".

The Metropolitan Police tweeted: "At 0025hrs 4/6/17 the incidents at #LondonBridge & #BoroughMarket were declared as terrorist incidents."

Mrs May, who will chair a meeting of the government's Cobra emergency committee later, 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."

The attack comes almost two weeks after 22 people died in a suicide bombing at a concert in Manchester. In March, five people died in London when a car was driven at pedestrians on Westminster Bridge and a police officer was stabbed outside Parliament.

'Van hit five people'

BBC home affairs correspondent Tom Symonds said a security guard who oversees a number of pubs in the London Bridge area said he saw four people stabbed by three attackers.

BBC reporter Holly Jones, who was on the bridge, said a van driven by a man was "probably travelling at about 50 miles an hour" before it hit a number of people.

"He swerved right round me and then hit about five or six people. He hit about two people in front of me and then three behind," Ms Jones told the BBC News Channel.

Five or six people were being treated for injuries after the vehicle mounted the pavement and hit them, she said.

"I'd say there are about four severely injured people. They all have paramedics assisting them at the moment."

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

Ms Jones later reported seeing a man being arrested by police. She said he was handcuffed and had his shirt off.

She said a French woman was among the injured. She had told said she did not know where two people who had been with her were.

Speaking to the Press Association, Will Orton described being in a pub in the area and seeing people coming running inside.

"We didn't really know what was going on," he said.

"We thought maybe there was a fight or something outside. And then there were almost hundreds of people coming inside.

"The bouncers did a really good job, they shut the doors and locked everyone in. There was panic - it seemed like it was literally outside the door. People were coming inside and saying they had witnessed people being stabbed."

Link to Full Article - Photos - Videos:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-40146916

[Anthea]

Jihadi terrorists shouting 'this is for Allah' kill seven in knife frenzy at 'FIVE' locations in the capital:

Hunt for men with 12in blades who began the rampage by mowing down revellers on London Bridge

The men, described as being 'of Mediterranean origin', reportedly drove the van at 50mph across the bridge

One horrified woman said she saw three people with what appeared to be their throats cut at London Bridge

The gang had metal canisters strapped to their chests and two were reportedly shot dead by armed police

They also tried to storm into pub in nearby Borough Market, where a man was reportedly stabbed five times

Also unconfirmed reports of gunfire on Southwark Street amid the 'utter chaos' of attack on Saturday night

A bomb squad has attended and boats are searching the Thames amid reports people were pushed in water

Five jihadi terrorists shouting 'this is for Allah' have reportedly killed seven people and left dozens more injured in a horrific rampage around two locations in central London.

The men, described as being 'of Mediterranean origin', mowed down up to 20 people with a white van at 50mph on London Bridge on Saturday night, then began 'randomly stabbing' revellers with 12-inch hunting knives.

One person has been killed at London Bridge - and one of the casualties is reportedly a police officer.

Five jihadi terrorists shouting 'this is for Allah' have reportedly killed seven people and left dozens more injured in a horrific rampage around two locations in central London.

The men, described as being 'of Mediterranean origin', mowed down up to 20 people with a white van at 50mph on London Bridge on Saturday night, then began 'randomly stabbing' revellers with 12-inch hunting knives.

One person has been killed at London Bridge - and one of the casualties is reportedly a police officer.

The terrorists also stormed busy pubs and restaurants in the nearby Borough Market, where a man was reportedly stabbed five times in the chest. A 'dark-skinned' man in a red tracksuit 'calmly' stabbed a man three times, a witness said.

The gang had metal canisters strapped to their chests and two were reportedly shot dead by armed police. A search is underway for the three other men. One man has been arrested on Borough High Street.

Two men thought to be the terrorists have been pictured lying on the ground after they were shot by police outside the Wheatsheaf pub in Borough Market.

One of the men suspected of being an attacker was pictured lying on the ground after he was shot by the police outside the Wheatsheaf pub in Borough Market. Another man was seen lying on the ground a short distance away.

50 armed police entered Monument station with police dogs and bystanders were told to run. Bank and Monument tube stations have been closed. There are also unconfirmed reports of gunfire on Southwark Street.

The terrorists also stormed busy pubs and restaurants in the nearby Borough Market, where a man was reportedly stabbed five times in the chest. A 'dark-skinned' man in a red tracksuit 'calmly' stabbed a man three times, a witness said.

The gang had metal canisters strapped to their chests and two were reportedly shot dead by armed police. A search is underway for the three other men. One man has been arrested on Borough High Street.

Two men thought to be the terrorists have been pictured lying on the ground after they were shot by police outside the Wheatsheaf pub in Borough Market.

One of the men suspected of being an attacker was pictured lying on the ground after he was shot by the police outside the Wheatsheaf pub in Borough Market. Another man was seen lying on the ground a short distance away.

50 armed police entered Monument station with police dogs and bystanders were told to run. Bank and Monument tube stations have been closed. There are also unconfirmed reports of gunfire on Southwark Street.



Terrifying footage from the scene shows police officers shouting 'Clear the scene now!' as panicked pedestrians flee. London Ambulance said multiple resources were attending the area.

The car that the three men were in have veered in an 'S shape' across the bridge and drove towards the Shard and was south of the river. There are unconfirmed reports that it is a B&Q and Hertz van.

One woman said she saw three people with what appeared to be their throats cut at London Bridge. There are also reports that a bystander was shot in the head in the crossfire and at least seven people have been stabbed.

The men said this is for Allah as they left the van and attacked victims. There were definitely three people sitting at the front of the van,' London Bridge eyewitness Eric Seguenzo told BBC News.

He added: 'I thought the van was travelling on wrong side of the road, as though the brakes had failed. The white van had yellow stripes, veered to the right and people tried to jump out the way.'

It has been reported that an SAS helicopter has been deployed to central London. A black unmarked helicopter was pictured at London Bridge.

Police are advising people who live within the London Bridge cordon to stay somewhere else tonight if they can.

Another witness said: 'No one hurt from van impact but as the men got out the van they started kicking, punching and stabbing victims they ran over. It was a rampage.'

Link to Full Article - Photos - Video:

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article ... ridge.html

[Anthea]

The death toll has risen to 7

48 others injured, after the London terror attack in which 3 suspects were shot dead by police.

A white van hit pedestrians on London Bridge at about 22:00 BST on Saturday, then three men got out and stabbed people in nearby Borough Market.

Police said the 3 men were wearing fake bomb vests.

One of those hurt is a police officer who was stabbed after going to help. His injuries are not life-threatening.

Most political parties have suspended national general election campaigning in light of the attack, but UKIP leader Paul Nuttall said he would carry on because that was "precisely what extremists would want us to do".

The prime minister has chaired a meeting of the government's Cobra emergency committee and is expected to make a statement shortly.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-40148737

[Piling]

Holy Ramadan.

[Anthea]

Holy Ramadan.

Ramadan = a time to share with others less fortunate and do acts of charity

[Anthea]

What happened?

Police said that the attack began at 21:58 BST on Saturday when a van drove onto London Bridge from the north side.

It mounted the pavement and hit several people, before crashing near the Barrowboy and Banker pub, at the southern end of the bridge.

The suspects got out, armed with knives, and ran the short distance to Borough Market where they stabbed several people.

Armed police and ambulances were called at 22:08 BST.

Eyewitnesses spoke of attackers targeting people in pubs and restaurants. Some people tried to fight them off by throwing chairs and glasses.

As the area was cordoned off, police shouted at members of the public to run or hide.

[Anthea]

12 arrested in Barking after van and knife attack

Twelve people have been arrested after the London terror attack which left seven people dead and 48 injured.

The arrests in Barking, east London, followed a raid at a flat belonging to one of the three attackers.

A van hit pedestrians on London Bridge at 21:58 BST on Saturday. Three men then got out and stabbed people in nearby Borough Market.

The attackers were shot dead by eight officers who fired 50 bullets. A member of the public was accidentally shot.

The member of the public remains in hospital in a non-critical condition, Assistant Commissioner Mark Rowley said.

"The situation these officers were confronted with was critical, a matter of life and death - three armed men wearing what appeared to be suicide belts," he said.

"They had already attacked and killed members of the public and had to be stopped immediately."

The suspected suicide vests were later found to be hoaxes.

Thirty-six people are in hospital with a "range of injuries", he said, and 21 are in a critical condition.

Controlled explosions were carried out at the flat in Barking during the raids on Sunday morning.

According to neighbours, the dead attacker lived there for about three years and was married with two children.

It is the third terror attack in the UK in three months, following the car and knife attack in Westminster in March, in which five people were killed, and the Manchester bombing less than two weeks ago, in which 22 people were killed.

Most political parties have suspended national general election campaigning, but the prime minister said full campaigning would resume on Monday.

The general election will go ahead as planned on Thursday.

Condemning the attack, Theresa May said it was "time to say enough is enough".
Hire van

Eyewitnesses described a van travelling at high speed along London Bridge, hitting pedestrians, before crashing close to the Barrowboy and Banker pub.

The white Renault van used was recently hired by one of the attackers, Mr Rowley said.

Three men then got out wearing fake bomb vests and began attacking people in the nearby market - an area known for its bars and restaurants.

Four police officers who tried to stop the attack were among those injured, two of them seriously.

One of them was an off-duty officer and amateur rugby player who tackled one of the terrorists, suffering stab wounds.

Another, a British Transport Police officer who joined the force less than two years ago, took on the attackers armed with only his baton.

Metropolitan Police Commissioner Cressida Dick praised their "extraordinary bravery".

The three suspects were shot dead within eight minutes of the first 999 call being received.

Link to Full Article - Photos - Videos:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-40148737

[Anthea]

The names of the killers have NOT been released

And as yet there has been NO public claim of responsibility

Perhaps the security forces have blocked any release of information

[Piling]

Perhaps they are still hunting all a gang and they don't want to let the terrorist network that it had been identified.

[Anthea]

Perhaps they are still hunting all a gang and they don't want to let the terrorist network that it had been identified.

I want to know who did it

[Anthea]

Met defends dropping inquiry into attacker

The Metropolitan Police have defended a decision to downgrade an inquiry into one of the men who carried out Saturday night's terror attack.


Attackers Khuram Butt (left) who was known to police and the security service and Rachid Redouane

They said Pakistan-born Khuram Butt, 27, of Barking, London, was known to police and MI5 in 2015, but there had been no evidence of a plot.

The two other perpetrators were not known to security services.

Butt and his two accomplices drove a hired van into pedestrians on London Bridge before stabbing people in the area around Borough Market in an attack which began at 21:58 BST.

All three men were shot dead by police within eight minutes of receiving a 999 call.

Seven people were killed and 48 injured. NHS England said 36 people remained in hospital, with 18 in a critical condition.

Butt had featured in a Channel 4 documentary The Jihadis Next Door, broadcast last year.

Another of the attackers has been named by police as Rachid Radouane, 30, from Barking. He was a chef who also used the name Rachid Elkhdar and police said he claimed to be Moroccan-Libyan.

What did police know about Khuram Butt?

Butt featured in a Channel 4 documentary last year about Islamist extremists with links to the jailed preacher Anjem Choudary.

The married father-of-two, who worked for London Underground as a trainee customer services assistant for nearly six months last year, could be seen in the programme arguing with police officers in the street, after displaying a flag used by so-called Islamic State in a London park.

Two people in Barking, east London, had also raised concerns about Butt, the BBC's home affairs correspondent Dominic Casciani said.

One man called the anti-terrorism hotline in 2015, and a woman went to the local police because she was scared Butt was trying to radicalise her children.

Metropolitan Police assistant commissioner Mark Rowley said an investigation into Butt began in 2015, but "there was no intelligence to suggest that this attack was being planned and the investigation had been prioritised accordingly".

The inquiry was "prioritised in the lower echelons of our investigative work", Mr Rowley added.

Asked if that had been a poor decision, Mr Rowley said he had seen nothing yet to suggest it, according to the BBC's home affairs correspondent, Danny Shaw.

At any one time there are around 500 active counter-terrorism investigations concerning 3,000 people of interest.

Mr Rowley said work was continuing to understand more about the attackers, "their connections and whether they were assisted or supported by anyone else".

Analysis: Khuram Butt showed his extremist colours
By Dominic Casciani, BBC Home Affairs correspondent

It's still not clear when Khuram Butt got involved in radical Islamist politics, but there is ample evidence that he was involved in the al-Muhajiroun network - certainly in 2015 and potentially at least two years earlier still.

The main evidence comes from his appearance in a Channel 4 documentary, The Jihadis Next Door, broadcast last year.

The film was a close encounter with part of the ALM network and one of its subjects was Siddhartha Dhar, one of Anjem Choudary's right-hand men.

Dhar later skipped bail for Syria. Once there, he appeared in a black mask in an IS execution video.

Butt's links may go back further still. Mohammed Shafiq of the Manchester-based Ramadhan Foundation, an anti-extremism group, says that he believes he was verbally assaulted by Butt in 2013 - the day after another ALM follower killed Fusilier Lee Rigby in Woolwich, south-east London.

'You will not win'

A vigil was held at Potters Field Park by the River Thames on Monday evening to remember the victims.

Mayor of London Sadiq Khan led the short ceremony. Addressing the attackers, he said: "We will defeat you. You will not win."

On Tuesday, there will be a minute's silence at 11:00 BST in memory of those who lost their lives and others affected by Saturday night's events.

A book of condolences will open on Tuesday at Southwark Council's headquarters in Tooley Street.

Prime Minister Theresa May, who has already signed it, said in her message that British values are "superior to anything offered by the preachers and supporters of hate".

Link to Article - Photos - Video:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-40168526

[Anthea]

Police investigating the London terror attack have made three fresh arrests, following raids involving armed officers in east London.

Two men were arrested on suspicion of terrorism offences and a third man was arrested on suspicion of drug offences.

Seventeen people have now been arrested in connection with Saturday's attack and five remain in custody.

Eight people were killed when three men drove into pedestrians on London Bridge before stabbing people.


Khuram Butt, Rachid Redouane and Youssef Zaghba have been named as the London Bridge attackers

According to Radio reports, police have made even more arrests in and around London