Six people killed and 48 injured in terror incident in London; three attackers shot dead

Six people have been killed and at least 48 injured in a terror incident in London in which three male attackers 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 three 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.

The Conservatives, Labour and the SNP have suspended national general election campaigning and the prime minister is chairing a meeting of the government's Cobra emergency committee.

Theresa May described Saturday night's events as dreadful, while Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn called them brutal and shocking.

London Mayor Sadiq Khan said it was a deliberate and cowardly attack on innocent Londoners, but the capital remained the safest global city and Londoners would not be cowed by terrorism.

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

Metropolitan Police Assistant Commissioner Mark Rowley said it was believed there were only three attackers involved and the explosive vests they were wearing were hoaxes. One social media user posted a photograph appearing to show an attacker lying on the ground outside a pub in the food market, with the fake vest visible.

Main developments: More than 80 medics were sent to the scene. The injured, some of them critical, are being treated in five London hospitals; The Met Police has set up a casualty bureau on 0800 096 1233 and 020 7158 0197 for people concerned about friends or relatives; Two Australian citizens have been directly impacted, says the country's Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull; At least two French citizens have been injured, according to the French president's office, quoted by Reuters.

BBC reporter Holly Jones, who was on the bridge at the time of the attack, said the van was probably travelling at about 50 miles an hour.

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.

Another eyewitness, Robbie, was sitting in a taxi opposite the Barrowboy and Banker pub on London Bridge.

I saw about 20 or 30 people rushing to get back into the pub and five seconds later a big white van came screeching down the pavement, he told BBC Radio 5 live.

Two or three people jumped out. Initially, I thought it was a road traffic incident and the people had jumped out to see if anyone was injured, but I could tell immediately, they looked very aggressive.

His friend Josh came out of the pub a few seconds later and saw people running up to the bridge from Borough Market.

A chap ran up and I heard him shout, 'He's got a knife, he's stabbing people.'

Another witness, Gerard, told the BBC: They were running up shouting, 'This is for Allah.' They stabbed this girl maybe 10 times, 15 times. She was going, 'Help me, help me.'

Gerard said he chased the attackers, who were running into pubs and bars, and threw bottles, chairs and other items to try to stop them. </s> At least six people were killed in an attack in central London on Saturday night, Scotland Yard said. At least three attackers are believed to been shot dead by the police. A van drove into people near the London Bridge on Saturday, days before the general election in the country. Incidents of stabbing were also reported at nearby Borough Market.

The police said that all the attackers involved in the incident had been killed, reported AP. “At least 20 casualties have been taken to six hospitals across London,” Assistant Commissioner Mark Rowley said in a statement. “The investigation is being led by the Counter Terrorism Command.”

A van driven by a man travelling at about “50 miles an hour” rammed into people, BBC reporter Holly Jones, who was present there at the time of the incident, said. “He swerved right round me and then hit about five or six people,” she said. “He hit about two people in front of me and then three behind.”

Witnesses said that soon after the van incident on the London Bridge, a knife-wielding man started charging towards a bar packed with people, reported AFP. The police asked people to run to a place of safety and hide as the attackers may still be armed and in the area. The local administration is working with the rescue services to find people who may have fallen into the River Thames, reported Reuters.

The toll in the attack is not clear yet, however, multiple casualties are suspected, reported AFP. The police hasve yet to confirm the number of attackers involved in the incidents, but some reports said that two of them were killed in police firing. The police have cordoned off the area and ambulances have been brought in.

Rowley urged people who had filed the incident or had images to pass them on to the police by uploading them on www.ukpoliceimageappeal.co.uk

United Kingdom Prime Minister Theresa May condemned the attack and said the incident is being treated as a “potential act of terrorism”. “Our thoughts are with those who are caught up in these dreadful events,” she said in statement.

London Mayor Sadiq Khan described the incident as a “horrific terrorist attack”. “We don’t yet know the full details, but this was deliberate and cowardly attack on innocent Londoners and visitors to our city enjoying their Saturday night,” he said according to BBC.

United States President Donald offered help to the UK, tweeting, “We are with you. God bless!” he tweeted.

The incident comes two weeks after 22 people died in a suicide bombing at a concert in Manchester. In a similar incident in March 2017, a man had mowed people down with his vehicle on the Westminster bridge while heading to the Parliament building. At least 40 others were injured in the incident. </s> At least one person died and several officers were injured in the attack, which came a day after bombs went off in churches across the city, killing at least 13 people. Officials said details of the victims were still unclear, and no-one has claimed responsibility. Some reports said civilians had also been caught in the blasts.

Latest police reports indicate that the attack involved an entire family, including an eight-year-old child. They drew up at a checkpoint at police HQ on two mopeds before detonating their devices. The child survived the attack with only minor injuries.

On Sunday three churches were targeted, say police, who are blaming the members of a single radicalised family that allegedly went to Syria.

Indonesia's Chief Security minister says the army and police will be stepping up security , and Indonesia's president said the attacks were acts of "cowards", and he would force a new anti-terror law through parliament if necessary.
The GMP confirms at least 19 people have been killed and 50 others injured and is treating the incident as a terrorist attack. Nobody immediately claimed responsibility.