People leave the area with their hands up after an incident near London Bridge on Saturday night
CAMPAIGNGING in the North of Ireland is facing suspension today as a mark of respect to the seven people who died and 48 people injured after a terror attack in London last night in which three suspects were shot dead by police.
A white van hit pedestrians on London Bridge at about 10 pm.
Three 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 prime minister has chaired a meeting of the government’s Cobra emergency committee and is expected to make a statement shortly.
Borough Market is an area known for its bars and restaurants which were busy on a warm summer evening.
Metropolitan Police Commissioner Cressida Dick praised the “extraordinary bravery” of her officers, on and off duty, who risked their lives by rushing to confront the attackers.
The three suspects were shot dead within eight minutes of the first 999 call being received.
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.
Commissioner Dick said she understood there could be a certain amount of “fear” among Londoners, but added: “The last thing we need is people over-reacting or taking out their frustrations on people in other communities or in their own communities.”
Among the main developments:
- More than 80 medics were sent to the scene. The injured, some of them in critical condition, 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
- Four French citizens have been injured, one seriously, according to foreign minister Jean-Yves Le Drian
Eyewitnesses to the attack described seeing a white van travelling at high speed along London Bridge before crashing close to the Barrowboy and Banker pub.
The van used by terrorists wearing fake bomb vests during terror attack in London on Saturday night
Three men then got out and began attacking people in the nearby market – one witness, Gerard, told the BBC they were shouting “This is for Allah”.
The area around the attack scene remains cordoned off on Sunday morning, with London Bridge and neighbouring Southwark Bridge both closed.
Many other roads, including Borough High Street and Lower Thames Street, are also closed, and trains are not stopping at London Bridge rail station or Tube station.
The police are asking anyone with photographs or videos of the incident to get to anti-terror detectives.
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