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. Prime Minister Theresa May called Sunday for tougher measures to contain Islamic extremism in Britain after an attack that killed seven people in a busy area of London and disrupted Britain's election campaign just days before a nationwide vote.The assault began Saturday night when a van veered off the road and barreled into pedestrians on busy London Bridge. Eyewitnesses described harrowing scenes as the attackers’ white van veered on and off the bridge sidewalk, hitting people along the way, and the three men then ran into an area packed with bars and restaurants, stabbing people indiscriminately. The attack unfolded quickly, and police said officers shot and killed the three attackers within eight minutes.Emergency officials said 48 people were treated at London hospitals, including some with life-threatening injuries, and a number of others suffered less serious injuries.It was the third attack in Britain in the past three months. Several days later it was lowered again to "severe," meaning an attack is highly likely.May called on international communications companies to do more to block cyberspace to extremist groups who use it for recruitment and for encrypted information about plots.She called for international agreements to regulate cyberspace and said Britain needs to become more robust at preventing the internet from being used to the advantage of extremist groups.The British government has long sought more help from internet companies like Facebook and Google in the battle against extremism.May spoke defiantly about protecting Britain's democracy - and vowed the election would go ahead as planned - after the violence turned a balmy summer night in an area packed with revelers into a scene of bloodshed and chaos, with officers running through crowded streets screaming for people to flee.Boats on the River Thames helped evacuate the area, which is popular with tourists. French and Spanish citizens were among the wounded.Assistant Metropolitan Police Commissioner Mark Rowley said that while police believe all the attackers were killed, the investigation is expanding. Assistant Commissioner Mark Rowley said: "We believe three people were involved but we still have some more inquiries to be 100% confident on that." "We believe three people were involved, but we still have got some more inquiries to do to be 100 percent confident in that," he said.As dawn broke over the capital, a large area on the south bank of the River Thames remained cordoned off. Police told people to avoid the area, leaving tourists and revellers struggling to get home. London Bridge and the adjacent train station, as well as nearby Borough subway station, were still closed.Only hours before, bursts of gunfire echoed through the streets - likely from armed police - and at least three blasts rang out as officers performed controlled explosions after sweeping the area for possible bombs.Witness Gerard Vowls told The Guardian newspaper that he saw a woman being stabbed by three men at the south end of London Bridge as the assault developed. An image showing a suspected terrorist, wearing what appear to be canisters around his waist, on the ground after being knocked down by police officers during in Borough Market, London. The three attackers on Saturday night were wearing what looked like explosive vests that were later found to have been fake. “But these were later established to hoaxes.”

Gerard Vowls told The Guardian newspaper that he saw a woman being stabbed by three men at the south end of London Bridge. '

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. “They kept coming to try to stab me . He told the station: "Then three men got out with long blades, 12 inches long and went randomly along Borough High Street stabbing people at random. "They are bound together by the single evil ideology of Islamist extremism that preaches hatred, sows division, and promotes sectarianism," she said. “I want to know if this girl is still alive. I’ve been walking around for an hour and a half crying my eyes out. I don’t know what to do.”

Bartender Alex Martinez said he hid in a garbage bin for a half hour when a man stormed the restaurant where he worked, which was nearly full. "I saw that man with a knife in his hand and after that a man started screaming so I knew something wrong was happening," he said.Medics treated the injured near the market as shocked people cried and shouted around them. One of those hurt is a police officer who was stabbed after going to help. Sky News reported it was the address of one of the attackers and a witness told the TV channel that residents had heard controlled explosions early in the morning. “We ran for like 100 metres and then saw loads of police cars turned up and there was kind of a period of quite intense gunfire,” he said. “I hid in a restaurant basement for about an hour. ... Police told us to get out and then there was more gunfire.”

Police received the first call of reports of a vehicle hitting pedestrians on London Bridge at 10:08 p.m. (2108 GMT). Mr Rowley added: "At this stage, we believe that six people have died in addition to the three attackers shot dead by police. "Police received the first call of reports of a vehicle hitting pedestrians on London Bridge at 10:08 p.m. (2108 GMT).Soon after, reports started coming in of stabbings at Borough Market, a nearby area full of bars and restaurants surrounding a popular food market.Photographer Gabriele Sciotto said he was on his way home from a pub when he saw a man running toward him telling him to turn around and run because there was an attack. Photographer Gabriele Sciotto said he was on his way home from a pub when he saw a man running toward him telling him to turn around and run because there was a terrorist attack. As a documentary filmmaker, though, his instincts were to keep going.The 25-year-old said that at first, "it didn't look too dangerous. The 25-year-old said that at first, “it didn’t look too dangerous.”

The men went into Borough Market, but then turned around and ran toward the Wheatsheaf Pub after being confronted by a police officer, he said, and suddenly a lot of police came from the other direction. They were scared. "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. The police were scared," he said.After one of the men was shot, Sciotto captured a photo of the suspect on the ground wearing what appeared to be canisters.Police initially said officers were also responding to a third incident, in the Vauxhall neighborhood, but later said that turned out to be an unrelated stabbing.Police tweeted a warning telling people in the area to run to safety, hide and then call police if it was safe to do so. They asked Londoners to “remain calm but be alert and vigilant.”

Prime Minister Theresa May confirmed the attack “is being treated as a potential act of terrorism” and said her thoughts were with “those who are caught up in these dreadful events.” May’s office said she would chair a meeting of the government’s COBRA emergency committee on Sunday. As with the Manchester attack, there were stories of Londoners coming to each other's aid, offering free taxi rides, free accommodation or just the opportunity to call friends and family - many using the hashtag on social media #sofaforLondon. The attack occurred five days ahead of a parliamentary election and was the third to hit Britain in less than three months. "It is an ideology that claims our W It was the third attack to hit Britain in as many months.In March, a British convert to Islam ran down people with a vehicle on Westminster Bridge, killing four before fatally stabbing a policeman on Parliament's grounds.Then came the May 22 Manchester concert bombing. Australia said two of its citizens were caught up in it and one of them was in hospital.The Manchester bombing on May 22 was the deadliest attack in Britain since July 2005, when four British Muslim suicide bombers killed 52 people in coordinated assaults on London’s transport network. After that attack, Britain's official terrorism threat level was raised from "severe" to "critical," meaning an attack may be imminent. He said the official threat level in Britain remained at severe, meaning a militant attack is highly likely. Grande and other stars are scheduled to perform a benefit concert for victims under tight security in Manchester Sunday night.The Islamic State group claimed responsibility for the Manchester bombing, but there has not yet been a claim of responsibility for the London attack, which the prime minister linked to Islamic extremism.May, facing an election Thursday, said the recent attacks, including an earlier one outside Parliament in March, are not directly connected, but that "terrorism breeds terrorism" and attackers copy one another.
The death toll from the attacks is seven with at least 48 injured. Officials say that the three attackers were killed by the police.