LONDON // Terror struck at the heart of London for the second time in less than three months on Saturday night when six deaths and many injuries were caused in coordinated attacks involving a careering white van that mowed down pedestrians on London Bridge and random stabbings there and in a busy nearby street.
Early reports suggested that at least three men leapt from the van after it had knocked down several people and then used long knives to attack passers-by on the south side of the bridge and in Borough Market, an area dotted with pubs and restaurants popular among Londoners and tourists alike.
Gunfire was also heard. There was no official confirmation of reports that one or two suspects were shot as police responded to events but one photograph taken in Borough Market showed two men lying on the ground after being shot. One was motionless but the other man, who had what resembled canisters strapped to his body, was clearly alive.
The Daily Mail newspaper's website reported that seven people had been killed by attackers shouting "this is for Allah" and that related incidents had occurred at two other central London locations. The Mail said five men in all took part in the attacks and that as the area of the follow-up police operation expanded, 50 officers with dogs had stormed a neighbouring Tube station, Monument.
Armed police were on the scene within minutes and footage distributed on social media showed officers confronting a shouting, agitated man. In other film, police were seen entering bars in Borough Market and yelling at customers to drop to the floor for their own safety. Several people had reportedly been stabbed as attackers went from bar to bar and attacked people in the street.
Scotland Yard confirmed early on Sunday that the attacks had been declared as "terrorist incidents" and that there had been more than one fatality.
A man responsible for pub security in Borough Market told the BBC he and colleagues threw chairs at men trying to stab people. He was told four victims were stabbed in one pub and added that he personally saw one young woman fall to the ground after being knifed.
Another witness, Alex Shellum, said a young woman staggered into the Borough Market pub where he had been with his girlfriend and friends, her wounds suggesting her throat had been cut. A man called Gerard who narrowly escaped injury said he saw a young woman stabbed 10 to 15 times.
Others witnesses said five or six people appeared to have been hit by the van which was driven at up to 50mph across the bridge, a major arterial route spanning the River Thames, just after 10pm local time. Up to 20 "walking wounded" were given emergency first aid treatment at a hotel near Liverpool Street station.
In a statement issued before the events were officially confirmed as terrorist related, the British prime minister Theresa May 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."
Mrs May, leader of the Conservative party, is currently fighting a general election campaign, with polling scheduled for Thursday. The main opposition leader, Labour's Jeremy Corbyn, said Saturday's attacks were "brutal and shocking incidents", adding: "My thoughts are with the victims and their families. Thank you to the emergency services." London's mayor, Sadiq Khan, a Muslim, described the attacks as deliberately, cowardly and barbaric.
The attacks came just 12 days after a suicide bomber Salman Abedi murdered 22 people, including children, at the end of a concert by the American pop singer Ariana Grande at the Manchester Arena, 335 kilometres north-west of the British capital. Abedi, born in Manchester to Libyan parents, has since been linked to ISIL.
In March, Khalid Masood, a British convert to Islam, drove a car into pedestrians on London's Westminster Bridge and then fatally stabbed a policeman as he breached the perimeter fence of the Palace of Westminster before being shot dead by another officer. Four of those struck by Masood's hired vehicle also died. The Muslim Council of Britain condemned the attack as "cowardly and depraved" and Muslim community leaders have also deplored the Manchester outrage.
Although ISIL has sought to present both Abedi and Masood as its "soldiers", there is no other immediate evidence of a direct link between the three terrorist attacks of recent months. Eleven of the 17 people arrested in connection with the investigation of the Manchester atrocity are still in custody.
Ariana Grande has returned to the city to perform in a benefit concert for victims to be held at on Sunday night and was photographed on Friday night visiting injured young fans in hospital.
British security agencies say several planned attacks have been foiled in recent months, many involving homegrown extremists. But counter-terrorism officials warn that with thousands of potential militants being monitored, the threat of further incidents is constant. The use of vehicles to ram pedestrians had become a common feature of ISIL-inspired terrorism in Europe and is particularly difficult to prevent.
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