12 arrested as London Bridge terror attack death toll rises to seven
Pedestrians were targeted on London Bridge before the attackers stabbed a police officer and revellers with 12-inch knives near Borough Market.
The death toll from the terrorist attack in London Bridge has risen to seven, the head of Scotland Yard has revealed.
Metropolitan Police commissioner Cressida Dick condemned the atrocity as “appalling” and “ghastly”, as the force announced it had arrested 12 people during a raid on flats in Barking, east London.
Police have arrested 12 people after an armed raid in Barking, east London, with Scotland Yard saying the investigation into the “horrific attack” was progressing rapidly with officers searching several addresses in the area.
Attackers brought carnage to the streets of the capital, stabbing a police officer and revellers with 12-inch knives, reportedly shouting “this is for Allah”.
The trio were pictured wearing what appeared to be explosive vests, with police later confirming they were hoaxes.
Police were called at around 10.08pm to reports of a vehicle striking pedestrians on London Bridge. The white van then continued to drive to Borough Market.
Three men then left the vehicle and began to stab people, including a British Transport Police Officer.
The suspects were confronted and shot by police at Borough Market within eight minutes of the first call being made.
In addition to seven fatalities, 48 people are being treated in hospital after being injured in the attack.
It is the third terrorist atrocity in Britain in less than three months after the Westminster and Manchester attacks in March and May.
Addressing media outside Scotland Yard, Ms Dick said: “Last night we saw another appalling and tragic incident in London – something we hoped we would not see again.”
The commissioner said: “We have witness reports of three people armed with knives and three attackers. And we believe the threat that they posed was neutralised within eight minutes.
“Of course it’s a very complex and confused scene, and a confused series of events, so it’s important that we first of all make sure that there is no one else outstanding.
“We don’t believe there is but we must make absolutely certain … and as I said we have a very large investigation ongoing and we will be seeking to establish whether anyone else was working with or assisting in any way, or helping in the planning of this attack in the way that you would expect.”
The official terror threat level in the UK is currently at severe, the second highest category.
Ms Dick said authorities are already at a “very high level of alertness”.
She said: “Severe means that an attack is highly likely, and the threat level was at severe.
“So, we were prepared potentially for an incident as we have been for some considerable time. The threat level is a matter, as you know, for the independent JTAC, the terrorism analysis centre, and they take a whole range of factors into account in setting the threat level.
“In my view, we responded extremely well. to this ghastly, ghastly incident. I can tell you that we will be doing absolutely everything in our power to try to stop such horrendous attack as this.”
Although police believe the incident is “under control”, a large cordon remains in place in the affected areas.
Large numbers of officers are at the scene as a thorough search is conducted to ensure “everyone has been accounted for”.
Ms Dick declined to comment on the identity of the attackers, saying: “I can’t tell you anything about the identity of the suspects at the moment.
“Obviously a very high priority for us is to identify them, work out who they are, where they’ve came from, what is behind this.”
Ms Dick said police have “very good” resources and “extraordinarily highly-trained people” but attacks are difficult to predict.
Witnesses said the terrorists drove into pedestrians on the bridge in the same way as Westminster Bridge attacker Khalid Masood.
They then emerged and attacked some of the people they had hit with the van before heading to Borough Market, where the pubs and restaurants were packed with Saturday night crowds, including many watching the Champions League final between Juventus and Real Madrid in Cardiff.
They were heard shouting ‘This is for Allah’ as they attacked people.
One woman, who was in Black and Blue restaurant, said: “We just saw three guys come into the restaurant, stabbed someone in the face and someone in the stomach.
“One of them had a big knife. Then he came in and walked around the restaurant. I guess they just kind of stabbed anyone that they saw and knocked things on the ground and then we just hid.”
Barman Alex Martinez was forced to take shelter in a bin when a one knifeman entered El Pastor restaurant.
He said: “I saw that man with a knife in his hand and after that a man started screaming so I knew something wrong was happening. The man started screaming and dropping everything on the floor, the plates, the cutlery, the bottle, everything, he dropped it.”
