- Seven killed and 48 injured people taken to hospitals
- 21 victims remain in critical condition
- Member of public suffered gunshot wound
- Eight officers fired 50 rounds at attackers
- London attacks: what we know so far
- Have you been affected by the attacks?
There was an increased police presence, too, at the One Love Manchester concert – and many officers took the chance to show the positive spirit that infused the event:
This policeman dancing with kids.
❤️#OneLoveManchesterpic.twitter.com/CAXG3p0Rr1
The policemen at #OneLoveManchester have their dancing shoes on pic.twitter.com/OkTqMB7nEr
Couldn't resist a dance with some amazingly positive people to some great music. Manchester did itself proud tonight #OneLoveManchesterhttps://t.co/RkxSnxgVTo
My colleague Chris Johnston reports that there remains a strong police presence around central London tonight – a van containing several officers is parked on Blackfriars bridge, for example.
Three Australians are believed to have been caught up in the London Bridge terrorism attack, Julie Bishop has said.
The foreign minister told ABC radio on Monday she had spoken to the father of an Australian woman who is recovering in hospital, while another who received stitches was on his way back home.
Related: Three Australians caught up in London Bridge attack, Julie Bishop says
In a speech in Carlisle on Sunday night, Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn accused Theresa May of attempting to protect the public “on the cheap”, following Saturday’s terror attack in London.
Urging the British people to “stand together”, Corbyn said the police and security services “must get the resources they need” to safeguard the country.
This is Claire Phipps picking up the live blog again.
CBC News in Canada has more details on Chrissy Archibald, named as one of the victims who died in the London attack. CBC reports:
The Canadian woman who was killed during the attack in London died in her fiancé’s arms on London Bridge, according to her future sister-in-law.
Christine Archibald, from Castlegar, British Columbia, was among the seven people killed in what UK prime minister Theresa May has described as a “brutal terrorist attack”.
That’s it from me - my colleague Claire Phipps is taking over now.
Our picture editor Arnel Hecimovic has compiled a gallery of images from the Manchester concert on Sunday night:
Related: Ariana Grande among the stars at One Love Manchester – in pictures
The Met has given an update for residents in the Borough area, some of whom face a second night unable to return home.
A cordon remains in area of Borough High St & Market, Montague Cl & Stoney St. The cordon will remain overnight and well into Monday (1/2)
(2/2) We advise residents they will not be able to access properties until cordon is lifted. Thank you for your patience and co-operation,
As we head into Monday, this is the front page of tomorrow’s print edition of the Guardian:
Guardian front page, Monday 5 June 2017 – Seven dead, 21 critically hurt: May says ‘enough is enough’ pic.twitter.com/4BqrjdlO3F
Former US presidential candidate Hillary Clinton tweets:
After acts of unspeakable cruelty & cowardice, the people of London & the UK choose resolve over fear. Your friends in the US stand w/ you. https://t.co/ZUkeTG4qoh
Speaking of the concert, event organisers said £2m had been raised by text and online donations during the three-hour broadcast.
If you missed the Manchester One Love concert this evening, here are some highlights:
London Bridge station will be exit-only when it reopens on Monday morning from 5am.
#LondonBridge station will reopen tomorrow from 5am as exit only. More information here - https://t.co/mR955DixTypic.twitter.com/v8LCRwnXu5
The Islamic State terror group has claimed responsibility for the attack in London on Saturday night that killed seven and left 21 fighting for their lives.
The head of the Site intelligence group says the terror group claimed its fighters carried out the attack.
A producer at Canada’s CTV News has tweeted a statement from the family of Chrissy Archibald, who was one of the victims of last night’s attack in London. She was from Castlegar in British Columbia.
BREAKING NEWS: Canadian victim killed in #LondonTerrorAttack identified as Chrissy Archibald of Castlegar, B.C. Family statement here: pic.twitter.com/MAQMrwsWaz
Further detail from the Met police statement about the 12 arrests today.
A 38-year-old woman was arrested at “address 1” in Barking.
Good news for commuters:
The station will be open tomorrow. Tooley St & St Thomas St entrances open from 0500 & remainder from 0800 pending on ongoing investigations
Met police assistant commissioner Mark Rowley has issued a statement:
We would like to thank the media for their continued support, restraint and understanding in not speculating as to who the suspects are in this fast-moving investigation.
I would like to assure them and the public that this is directly assisting the progression of the investigation and confirm we will release the identities of the three men directly responsible for the attacks yesterday, Saturday 3 June, as soon as operationally possible.
Ariana Grande has performed her hit One Last Time and is now giving us a rendition of Somewhere Over the Rainbow to end the show in Manchester.
The singer was overcome with emotion at one point during the song and had to pause before regaining her composure to continue.
Back to the hits now for Liam with the Oasis hit Live Forever.
No sign of Noel, but Chris Martin from Coldplay has strapped on an acoustic guitar and popped back on stage.
Song number two from the former Oasis frontman is his, erm, new single Wall of Glass.
Liam Gallagher is one of the surprise guests at the Manchester concert and has opened with Rock ’n’ Roll Star.
The Labour leader, Jeremy Corbyn, has tweeted tonight:
In Manchester now, London today and always in our country: We stand together & united against those who seek to divide us #OneLoveManchesterpic.twitter.com/HMmb5D8l9b
Watch my full response to last night's dreadful terrorist attack in London. https://t.co/jZtw2A54YO
Ariana Grande says she was inspired to change her set list for the One Love Manchester concert after the mother of one of the teenage victims said her daughter would have wanted to hear the hits.
Coldplay are now on stage in Manchester and playing hits including Viva la Vida.
Shortly before 9pm a white, contained flatbed truck was seen leaving London Bridge, going north, with what is thought to have been the terrorists’ van inside.
Justin Bieber is now on stage and says it’s an honour to be performing at the Manchester concert.
He has a guitar. That can only mean it’s time for his downbeat hit Love Yourself.
Efforts to prevent people turning to terrorism will be stepped up in the wake of the London Bridge attack, one of the UK’s largest Islamic organisations has said.
The Muslim Council of Britain (MCB) condemned Saturday’s atrocity at London Bridge, which has claimed the lives of at least seven people, as an “outrage” and said it would launch a new grassroots campaign to make sure that suspicious activity is reported to the authorities.
The pop megastar Katy Perry – sporting an arresting peroxide crew cut hairdo no less – has just hit the stage in Manchester with an acoustic version of her hit Part of Me.
BBC pop writer Mark Savage is watching the Manchester concert on BBC1:
Lovely shared moment as @ArianaGrande and @MileyCyrus duet on Crowded House's Don't Think It's Over. #OneLoveManchesterpic.twitter.com/r0m49wyaUS
Will.i.am of the Black Eyed Peas told the crowd at the fundraising concert: “Manchester, London, we are here together and we are one.”
Ariana Grande then introduced Imogen Heap, who sat at the piano to sing Whatcha Say before a video message from David Beckham was played. He said: “As a father, what happened made me truly sad and it’s a day we’ll never forget. I’m proud of everyone there today, everyone in the crowd and all the artists.”
Ariana Grande has just finished performing with the Black Eyed Peas at the Manchester One Love concert, where the crowd was treated to their megahit Where is the Love?
Police were warned about the main suspect radicalising children in a local park two years ago, a neighbour has revealed.
Erica Gasparri, an Italian mother of three who lives in the same complex, said she confronted the man, known locally as “Abs”, after her son came home and said: “Mummy, I want to be a Muslim.”
Much praise on Twitter for this tweet from the US Embassy in London, which is somewhat different in tone to those from President Trump earlier in the day.
I commend the strong leadership of the @MayorofLondon as he leads the city forward after this heinous attack. – LLukens 3/3 https://t.co/p4dDZuCpyO
Little Mix have taken to the stage in Manchester now to perform their hit Wings.
One of the quartet, Jade Thirlwall, told the crowd: “We are so, so happy to be part of this incredible day, thank you. The song we have chosen to do for you guys we wrote together a few years ago in the hope it would empower people to stand together and to not let anything bring them down.”
GO ARIANA. #OneLoveManchesterpic.twitter.com/ry8hgwBTc3
A better-known song from Ariana Grande now: Break Free. The crowd is singing along noisily: “This is the part where I break free...”
Ariana Grande opens her set with the track Be Alright – and some top-notch vogueing from her backing dancers.
Ariana Grande is about to take to the stage at the One Love concert in Manchester. “Manchester, your bravery is our hope,” says the pop star’s manager, Scooter Braun, introducing her.
A small sign of normality returning to the London Bridge area – Borough underground station is once again open to commuters.
#Borough - the station has now reopened, following an earlier police investigation.
A vigil for the victims will be held in Potters Fields Park, Southwark, on Monday night, according to a statement on the London Assembly website.
“The Mayor invites all Londoners – and everyone visiting our city - to come together in solidarity to remember those who have lost their lives in Saturday’s attack, to express sympathy with their families and loved ones and to show the world that we stand united in the face of those who seek to harm us and our way of life. We will never let these cowards win and we will never be cowed by terrorism.”
Members of the public can lay floral tributes at the flagpoles at City Hall.
And here are some more lines from Jeremy Corbyn’s speech, for the full text released after he spoke.
At this time it is more important than ever that we stay united in our communities. It is the strength of our communities that gets us through these awful times as London mayor Sadiq Khan recognised but which the current occupant in the White House has neither the grace nor the sense to grasp.
Whether we are Muslim or Christian, black or white, male or female, gay or straight, we are united by our values, by our determination for a better world, and that we can build a better society.
If Labour is elected I will commission a report from the security services on Friday on the changing nature of the terrorist threat.
The choice you face on 8 June is a Conservative party which has made clear it will press on with another five years of austerity and cuts to essential public services to pay for even more tax handouts to the richest and the big corporations.
Or the Labour party, which is guaranteeing 95% of taxpayers will pay no extra tax but is asking the best off and the largest companies to pay a bit more to fund our hospitals, police, schools, decent pensions and childcare to invest in good jobs and a growing economy for the many not the few.
If I am elected prime minister on 8 June I will be asking the commissioners of the Met police and the British Transport police for the names of those whose bravery should be commended, to acknowledge their heroism and of many others in our emergency services and among the public who intervened.
Jeremy Corbyn has delivered his speech. Here are the key points from extracts released under embargo in advance.
Our priority must be public safety and I will take whatever action is necessary and effective to protect the security of our people and our country. That includes full authority for the police to use whatever force is necessary to protect and save life as they did last night, as they did in Westminster in March.
You cannot protect the public on the cheap. The police and security services must get the resources they need, not 20,000 police cuts.
Theresa May was warned by the Police Federation but she accused them of “crying wolf”.
The aim of the terrorists is plainly to derail our democracy and disrupt or even halt this election.
The general election is of course about the argument between the Labour and Conservative parties and our very different visions and plans for the future of our country.
Our democratic values must be maintained. We must resist Islamophobia and division and turn out on 8 June united in our determination to show our democracy is strong. And, yes, we do need to have some difficult conversations starting with Saudi Arabia and other Gulf states that have funded and fuelled extremist ideology.
It is no good Theresa May suppressing a report into the foreign funding of extremist groups. We have to get serious about cutting off the funding to these terror networks, including Isis, here and in the Middle East.
At the Manchester tribute concert, Robbie Williams has taken over from Take That. He changed the lyrics to his song Strong in tribute to victims.
“Manchester we’re strong, we’re strong,” he sang in chorus with the audience. “We’re still singing our songs, our songs, our songs.”
The Manchester tribute concert has just started. Around 50,000 people are expected at the three-hour concert, which is being broadcast on the BBC.
Marcus Mumford from the band Mumford & Sons has opened the show, saying: “Let’s not be afraid.”
Jeremy Corbyn, the Labour leader, is due to give a speech in Carlisle shortly. According to a briefing from the party in advance, it is intended to be “statesmanlike”. He will talk about the London Bridge attack, and about Labour’s values.
According to Sky’s Darren McCaffrey, he will also speak about President Trump’s response to the atrocity. (See 3.29pm.)
Being told Corbyn will make reference to @realDonaldTrump during his speech this evening. #LondonBridgeAttackspic.twitter.com/iv4gs50LBV
A French man is among those killed in last night’s attack, theforeign minister, Jean-Yves Le Drian, has confirmed, according to French media and Reuters.
They report that seven people from France were injured in last night’s attack, four of them critically. One person is still missing.
BREAKING NEWS - #Londres: 1 Français tué dans l'attentat,7 Français blessés dont 4 dans un état grave (Jean-Yves le Drian)." @franceinfopic.twitter.com/5naYKfriTc
Hommage aux victimes du Bardo. Les démocraties attaquées sont déterminées à combattre le terrorisme, ici comme à Londres, où je serai demain
Leaders of the Muslim Council of Britain (MCB) have backed comments by Theresa May saying “enough is enough” after the London Bridge attack, and said they would be stepping up efforts to curb Islamic extremism in Britain.
Muslim community representatives from around the country were led by the MCB secretary-general, Harun Rashid, who condemned Islamic extremism as a “death cult”, and said “British Muslims must play our part” in turning people away from the ideology.
Today’s attack makes us all angry, it makes me angry. And we want to do something about it. That is why we agree with the prime minister that things must change.
Enough is enough. We are ready to have those difficult conversations, as equal citizens with an equal stake in this fight.
We want to turn people’s minds away from this death cult.
We want to ensure families are not torn apart by being either victims of terrorist outrages, or finding out that someone they knew perpetrated such acts.
One witness, who wishes to remain anonymous, was drinking in the George Inn on Borough High Street when the attack happened. They said:
We were enjoying a drink with friends we hadn’t seen in a while in the George, very close to where the atrocious attacks happened. A man, I think the bouncer, came in and shouted at us all to evacuate. There was a moment of silence and stillness as no one knew quite how to react. Our initial reaction was it was a hoax. He then shouted at us to move again and by his reaction, it was clear this was no hoax.
We all started leaving the pub, relatively calmly, and then we were told to go back in and started moving back in only to be told to run and get out quickly because there were people with knives and guns. As we went onto Borough High Street, we heard the sound of gunfire and a police officer telling us to run. We all just ran away as quickly as possible. I remember just grabbing my friend’s hand and sprinting away.
I’m still feeling shocked that we were so near and also very lucky. We had nearly decided to go for drinks in Borough Market. My heart goes out to those people who have lost their lives, those who are injured and their families. It could have been us.
Holly Jones, a BBC reporter, was one of the first people on the scene to call 999.
“The van was zig-zagging along the pavement and it looked like it was aiming for groups of people,” she said. “He hit two people in front of me that were about five metres in front, swerved back round again, and just clipped a girl who was walking towards me. Didn’t touch her, and she had headphones in, and I just saw the shock and look on her face as it veered around her.
"Demented, that's what he looked like" - BBC reporter Holly Jones saw van driver mount pavement in #LondonAttackshttps://t.co/gDxKkWW4D0pic.twitter.com/OK41v79YYO
The Cyprus high commissioner, Euripides Evriviades, has ordered flags to be flown at half mast on his embassy’s London building ”in solidarity with the UK”.
The high commissioner, who was among the first to learn that the youngest victim of last month’s Manchester attack was an eight year-old Anglo-Cypriot schoolgirl, said the prime minister’s statement earlier today of “enough is enough is indicative of the direction of travel”.
Respect to all affected; TY to all services; in solidarity w #UK, flags @ #Cyprus HC flying half mast #LondonAttacks#WeStandTogetherpic.twitter.com/BGLkbyORMv
The brother of David Haines, the British aid worker who was murdered by Islamic State in Syria in 2014, has made a plea for unity as the strongest possible response to the “barbarism” of the London terror attacks.
Over the past few years Mike Haines has sought to continue his brother’s work by visiting schools and community groups to combat extremist indoctrination of young people in the UK. He told the Press Association:
My deepest sympathies are with the victims and all those affected by last night’s dreadful attack in London.
From my own loss, I know first-hand the hurt and anger that many people are feeling today.
My colleague, Caroline Bannock, has spoken to Elizabeth, a 22-year-old Malaysian student studying in London, who was in Wagamama restaurant close to the Tate modern on the South Bank when the attack took place.
She described the chaos out on the streets when she tried to get home.
A waiter said London bridge was closed as there had been an attack. At the time it didn’t feel too close, my friend and I were thinking that the terror had taken place and it wouldn’t be happening again. It was just after 10:00pm and we decided to leave the restaurant. All the doors were locked, which made us a bit scared as we realised that they had been trying to stop people getting in.
When we got outside we had a view of 100 people or so all milling around and trying to call cabs. People were standing on corners crying, the fire brigade were there and we started to realise that it wasn’t over, it was still active, we were really terrified then.
Then people started running behind us, shouting: ‘They’re stabbing, they’re stabbing.’ Everyone started running and screaming. I held my friend’s hand and we ran for our lives, it’s the first time I’ve honestly felt this fear, this close, I was crying while running for minutes. When you see everyone else freaking out it’s a horrifying experience.
I remember there was a guy on a motorbike on the road and he did a U-turn and in that moment you just don’t know who anybody is, you don’t know what will happen.
We stayed there until we could get a cab, which wasn’t till 5am. On Sunday morning the streets were completely empty. I never expected something like that to happen to me, when it happens and it’s so close, it’s hard to get over.
My colleague Lisa O’Carroll has pictures of what is believed to be a car owned by one of the suspected attackers.
Just to be clear - the car was not involved in the attack but is believed to be owned by one of the attackers.
Peugeot 1007 used by suspect in London Bridge terror attack. Neighbour says all sorts of strange cars in area recent pic.twitter.com/6zh45qA4Jc
David Lammy, the former Labour minister who is seeking re-election as MP for Tottenham, has accused Theresa May of using her speech this morning for campaigning purposes.
Campaigning clearly has not been stopped if the PM stands outside No 10 and announces a four point plan within hours of an attack. https://t.co/iv6oJcb9BI
And as campaigning has clearly not stopped: "enough is enough" is a very strange phrase for the person who was Home Secretary from 2010-2016
Media heads frantically lobbied by No10 spin doctors "Theresa May must look tough on terror today because she cut 10000 police officers"
Humble apology it appears that Theresa May cut police numbers by 20,000 according to a reliable source! No wonder she's talking tough now!
A catalogue of failure to ensure high security standards in her complacent reign as Home Secretary that is Theresa Mays record!
The mother of one of the victims, 23 year-old Daniel O’Neill, who was stabbed in last night’s attack and is being treated in hospital, has told of her son’s experiences.
“He just stepped outside the bar for a second and a man ran up to him and said: ‘This is for my family, this is for Islam’, and stuck a knife straight in him. He’s got a seven-inch scar going from his belly round to his back,” Elizabeth O’Neill told reporters outside King’s College hospital.
As the immediate shock wears off, there are determined efforts in some quarters to express reconciliation and unity.
Representatives of the Ahmadiyya Muslim community are speaking to reporters on the cordon, as is the bishop of Southwark – the attack happened right on the doorstep of Southwark cathedral, which is still sealed off by the police.
Google has put out a statement following the London Bridge attack saying it is committed to working with the government to ensure terrorists “do not have a voice online”. This is from ITV’s Carl Dinnen.
Full statement from Google following the London Bridge attack and the Prime Minister's statement. pic.twitter.com/gxOWzlD6uX
It is disappointing that in the aftermath of this attack, the government’s response appears to focus on the regulation of the internet and encryption.
This could be a very risky approach. If successful, Theresa May could push these vile networks into even darker corners of the web, where they will be even harder to observe.
Flowers left for victims of London Bridge and Borough market attack pic.twitter.com/qAwo7w4nOZ
Some words of support from horror writer Stephen King
London lives. And thrives. And stands together. I love you guys. We all do.
Mathu, an employee in Sam’s Chicken Shop, said one of the “five or six” who were taken from the flat was Romanian or eastern European.
“He was about 22 or 23, he was a nice, quiet guy. He lived there with his brother and his girlfriend. They used to come in and order lunch, always ordered wings and chips.
A Romanian chef who reportedly hit an attacker over the head with a crate and sheltered 20 people in his bakery has been hailed a hero.
The baker, who works at the Bread Ahead bakery in the market, told the Associated Press: “We were looking out of the window because we saw that everyone was agitated, everyone was running, people, women ... they were fainting, falling and we went outside to see what was happening.”
Shout out to the Romanian chef who sheltered 20 people... and then whacked one of the terrorists with a crate. https://t.co/DOFYFOxEdkpic.twitter.com/Prr5geZkPG
A Romanian chef sheltered 20 people in his bakery and hit one of the #LondonBridge attackers on the head with a crate. This is London.
My colleague Denis Campbell has more information on the member of public who suffered gunshot wounds, confirming the man was shot in the head.
The man shot in the head during last night’s events around London Bridge is alive, “absolutely not dying” and expected to make a full recovery, a senior doctor at the Royal London hospital has told the Guardian.
Rowley said the member of public who was shot by police did not suffer injuries that were “critical in nature”.
As the officers confronted the terrorist, a member of the public also suffered gunshot wounds.
Although the injuries are not critical in nature, they are in hospital receiving medical attention and we will of course keep you updated on that.
Rowley said the attack started at 9.58pm as the attackers drove a van from north to south over London Bridge.
The van mounted the pavement and collided with pedestrians before being abandoned where attackers were armed with knives, continued into the Borough Market area, stabbing numerous people.
The attackers were then confronted by the firearms officers and I can confirm eight police firearms officers discharged their weapons.
Tim Farron, the Lib Dem leader, has condemned President Trump for his comment about the London mayor, Sadiq Khan. (See 3.29pm.) Farron said:
Donald Trump has shown how little he cares for the special relationship and how much he will twist the truth to try and justify his divisive policies.
Sadiq Khan has shown calm and dignified resolve in the face of these cowardly terrorist attacks. He is more of a statesman than Donald Trump will ever be.
Rowley said the investigation had made good progress but there “remains much more to do”.
We’re making significant progress in identifying the three attackers and confirming the fact there were no other suspects at the scene when the attack was carried out.
Work is ongoing to understnd more about them, about their connections and whether they were assisted and supported by anyone else.
There is clearly more to do and we will work relentlessly to get to the facts.
We established that the van used in the attack was a white Renault van that was recently hired by one of the attackers.
Mark Rowley, Met police assistant commissioner, said a member of the public suffered a gunshot wound as officers attempted to neutralise the terrorists with an “unprecedented” level of gunfire.
The individual is being treated in hospital, Rowley said.
ITV’s Peston on Sunday has released the transcript of Robert Peston’s interview with Amber Rudd, the home secretary, this morning. (See 10.53am.) Here are the key points.
The level of severe means an attack is highly likely, and we’ve been at that level for three years. [The level went up to critical after Manchester] because in Manchester we had to be, the police had to be absolutely sure that there was no additional material or explosives out there that could mean there might be a follow up attack. When they became satisfied of that, the independent assessor of the threat level, JTAC, said it was right to come back down to severe. We don’t believe there is additional elements which could be carrying on the attack last night, or JTAC, rather, has made that assessment, so they haven’t recommended going to critical.
There is international agreement that we need to get those companies to do more. It’s not good enough just to say, do no harm. We have to get them to actively to work with us to stop their platforms being used to radicalised. It’s two, it’s two points to it. One is to make sure that they do more to take down the material that is radicalising people, and secondly to help work with us to limit the amount of end-to-end encryption that otherwise terrorists can use to plot their devices.
We are plain vanilla about making sure there’s no political points scoring as we go about trying to keep people safe. Of course it’s right to have a debate about it, but I hope we can do it without introducing politics.
Lisa O’Carroll has spoken to a witness to the Barking Road raid
Witnesss to Barking Road raid says two Romanians lived in flat, plus one Somalian https://t.co/BXTJpmSD7y
The prime minister, Justin Trudeau, issued the following statement after last night’s terrorist attack, confirming a Canadian was killed:
Canada strongly condemns the senseless attack that took place last night in London, United Kingdom, which killed and injured many innocent people. I am heartbroken that a Canadian is among those killed.
We grieve with the families and friends of those who have lost loved ones, and wish all those injured a speedy and full recovery.
All signs are that the police cordon will remain in place overnight, which is likely to cause major disruption if still in place on Monday morning.
One police officer said the hope was that the cordon would be lifted by tomorrow morning. Officers have also been advising people allowed into the cordon – because they live within the area taped off or are staying in hotels there – to stock up on food to save them having to cross in and out of the cordon again.
The Press Association reports a Canadian national was among those killed in the London Bridge terror attack, the country’s prime minister, Justin Trudeau, has said.
Rashid Rehman, who runs a fish shop nearby who saw the police raid on the flat above Paddy Power, said: “The swat teams came from the back and the front, there were police with machine guns.”
A series of images have come into the Guardian picture desk of a raid at an address in Barking, showing a number of women being led away in handcuffs.
Giovanni Sagristani and his friends were in El Pastor restaurant on Stoney Street last night when one of the attackers came in and stabbed a woman in the chest.
“He came in shouting and just stabbed her,” Sagristani told the BBC.
Theresa May made a private visit to King’s College London hospital to hear firsthand accounts from patients and staff on Sunday afternoon. No 10 confirmed that the visit had been made but said no media was invited.
My colleague, Lisa O’Carroll, is on location at a raided property in Barking.
This is the flat the police have raided - above a Paddy Power on Barking Road, East Ham pic.twitter.com/5rvy7QSSHR
Our colleague Alan Travis points out that Iain Duncan Smith (see 2.02pm) does not seem aware that the Tpim legislation was updated in 2015 to allow terror suspects to be forced to move home.
. IDS a bit behind the curve on this one. Tpims given more powers in 2015, inc excluding suspects from London but still only handful used. pic.twitter.com/QSO8EzPttc
Jane Cummings, chief nursing officer for England, and Sir Bruce Keogh, national medical director for NHS England, said in a joint statement:
The appalling events in London last night follow all too fast on the heels of the dreadful attacks we have seen on Westminster Bridge and in Manchester over recent weeks. Our thoughts are with everyone affected.
On each occasion we have seen both the worst and the best of humanity. Last night, once again, the NHS and other emergency services reacted swiftly and heroically, going towards the danger to help the injured.
NHS England says that 21 people injured in the London Bridge terror attack are in a critical condition.
The BBC has postponed its Question Time special this evening involving Nicola Sturgeon, the Scottish National party leader, and Tim Farron, leader of the Lib Dems, after the London Bridge attacks, the BBC has said.
Filmed in Edinburgh, the programme was to have been aired during prime time at 6.05pm this evening following last week’s Question Time special featuring Theresa May and Jeremy Corbyn. But the BBC has cancelled or postponed all of its set-piece Sunday political programming given the attack on London Bridge on Saturday night.
Tonight's Question Time Leader Special is making way for @BBCNews special. #bbcqt will be rescheduled.
Here’s a picture gallery pulling together photos from the events in London.
Related: The day after the London Bridge attacks – in pictures
Downing Street has issued a fairly bland statement responding to what President Trump has been saying about Sadiq Khan, the mayor of London, over his response to the London Bridge attack. (See 12.35pm.) It is supportive of Khan, but does not criticise the president. This is from the Daily Mirror’s Jack Blanchard.
NEW. Downing Street responds to @realDonaldTrump tweet about Sadiq Khan: pic.twitter.com/keTn4Kq8gU
The mayor is busy working with the police, emergency services and the government to coordinate the response to this horrific and cowardly terrorist attack and provide leadership and reassurance to Londoners and visitors to our city.
He has more important things to do than respond to Donald Trump’s ill-informed tweet that deliberately takes out of context his remarks urging Londoners not to be alarmed when they saw more police – including armed officers – on the streets.
At least 7 dead and 48 wounded in terror attack and Mayor of London says there is "no reason to be alarmed!"
My message to Londoners and visitors to our great city is to be calm and vigilant. You will see an increased police presence today, including armed officers and uniformed officers. There is no reason to be alarmed by this.
As with the Westminster Bridge and Manchester Arena attacks, praise is coming in for the NHS staff and organisations who helped the injured last night.
Prof Karim Brohi, the director of the NHS’s London major trauma system, said there had been a “strong, standard [and] effective response across [the] London trauma system” from the capital’s hospitals and ambulance services. The system is now “fully operational today. Thank you all. #antifragile”, tweeted Brohi, who is a trauma and vascular surgeon.
Reports are emerging of a heavy police presence and cordons near East Ham town hall on Barking Road.
Witnesses reported a police van and four to five police cars arriving at the scene. Police tape has cordoned off the area.
Total chaos round Barking road/ High street, not looking good pic.twitter.com/ZriFczg7EC
The UK will observe a minute’s silence on Tuesday 6 June at 11am in remembrance of those who lost their lives and all others affected by the attacks in London on Saturday night.
The silence will be marked at all government buildings and other organisations may follow suit.
Salahudee Jayabdeen, 40, said one of the suspected attackers had been forcibly removed from a local mosque called Jabir bin Zayd after questioning the Imam during a service.
He said he had seen the man in the area for the past year.
It was about two months ago and he started questioning what the imam was saying. I can’t remember exactly what it was about but was asked to leave. He didn’t want to and was forcibly taken out.
The owner of a restaurant in Borough Market has told how he and his staff helped take 130 customers to safety in the midst of last night’s attack.
Mark Stembridge, owner of Cafe Brood, said he saw three men brandishing weapons coming at pace towards his building. He immediately told his staff, some of whom were ex-military, to pull customers from the open balcony and take them inside.
Uber has come under fire on social media, with users accusing the company of profiting from last night’s terror attack on London Bridge.
Users accused the company of using “surge prices”, which come into operation automatically when demand is high. Some journeys cost as much as twice the normal fare in the hours following the attack, said users, as many frightened people were attempting to get home.
Hey @Uber -- you're really going to surge price x2.1 during a terrorist attack in #London??? Lower than low. #londonbridge#emergencypic.twitter.com/yXHFZsYZkT
Big fan of @Uber but bitterly disappointed in profiting from a terrorist attack. ~£7 Knightsbridge to Victoria. Charging £40 #UberLondonhttps://t.co/SWbyp8Ss2I
We suspended dynamic pricing once we heard about the incident, as we did after the attacks in Westminster and Manchester
The mother of an Australian woman who was injured during the attack has said her daughter is recovering well despite being stabbed in the throat by one of the terrorists.
Candice Hedge, 34, from Brisbane, received emergency surgery at St Thomas’s hospital, but “she is going to be fine, thank goodness”, her mother, Kim del Toro, told Fairfax Media in Australia.
Dashcam footage from a taxi shows the scene on London Bridge shortly after attack on Saturday night. Casualties can be seen lying on the road and pavement as police rush to attend the scene. Warning: some viewers may find the footage distressing.
Emily Thornberry, the shadow foreign secretary, said Theresa May’s statement appeared to be a breach of an agreement with Labour to put aside political campaigning and was insensitive to those who are just becoming aware that their loved ones have died.
She told Radio 4’s World This Weekend that she regretted the prime minister’s statement because it was not putting forward proposals that are to be implemented immediately. She said:
None of the things [May] is proposing in the four-point plan are immediate steps and so I regret the timing of this. There is an agreement between the parties that there will not be party political campaigning until this evening or tomorrow.
I think that [what May has said] is drawing us into a debate. I think there is time enough to discuss these issues. I don’t think that anything she is proposing is anything that needs to be or will be dealt with tomorrow, and I don’t think anything is an immediate step that she is putting forward. If it was then, that would be different matter.
I think it is a good idea to stick to the agreement that there was not going to be party political campaigning until this evening and the Labour party will begin campaigning this evening.
A man named Will, who didn’t want to give his surname, described how he was among about 100 people to be shut inside the Sheaf pub in the immediate aftermath of the attack.
“A lot of people came running in and we thought there was a fight going on,” he said. “The bouncer shut the doors and locked us in.” A few others were allowed in to shelter in the pub, he said.
Barking resident Ken Chigbo told Sky News he spoke to the man believed to be one of the attackers only yesterday and he expressed interest in Chigbo’s hire van.
I’m moving house at the moment. So I had a big van outside. He came up to me and said ‘oh Ken, you’re moving’. He’s usually a very nice friendly guy. But this time it was on a different level of nice. It’s quite strange to put into words. He was asking me where I was moving to etc and then he started asking about the van.
Where did you get your van Ken? How much is it? Is it possible to get it in automatic? All these specific questions about the van, which obviously now makes sense in my head. At the time, I didn’t think anything of it.
Southwark Cathedral, which is next to Borough Market, is closed. A statement on its website reads:
As a consequence of the terrorist incident yesterday evening on London Bridge and at the Borough Market, Southwark Cathedral remains closed until further notice. This means that no services can take place until the police cordon is lifted.
Ajay, from Bombay, India, is on holiday with his wife and two children aged nine and 14. He said his family had abandoned plans to visit Manchester because of the attack on the Ariana Grande concert but we’re staying at the Premier Inn close to where last night’s attack happened.
They were in Alma’s pizzeria on Borough High Street, on what was supposed to be the last day of their holiday when panic erupted around them.
We were just sitting having a pizza by the window. We saw a lot of police vehicles, we went out to see what was going on and we heard gunshots. At first we thought it was firecrackers, people celebrating the match (the Champions League final) but then we saw people running and ran into our hotel.
We were supposed to go to Manchester then didn’t because of the attack there. I can’t believe it’s happened in London, it makes me feel numb. I’m from India and you’re used to this type of thing but I thought London was the best, safest place for a holiday.
Iain Duncan Smith, the Conservative former work and pensions secretary, told the World this Weekend that Theresa May would probably try to toughen up Tpims (terrorism prevention and investigation measures). These are the the measures introduced by the coalition to place restrictions on people who are suspected of being terrorists but who have not been convicted of an offence. They replaced control orders, introduced by Labour, which were tougher, but which were being challenged in the courts.
Duncan Smith, who served in the coalition cabinet, said that was one of the things to which May was referring when she spoke about toughening anti-terror laws. (See 11.56am.) He was asked if that meant internment and he replied:
Internment always conjures up views of internment of the IRA back in the 1970s. I don’t think that is what is on the table. But I think what is on the table is a much tighter view about the way we got about this Tpim stuff.
One of the things that I was concerned about in coalition – I know Theresa May was when she was home secretary – was during the coalition the Tpim order that we brought in, which gives those powers, was watered down. And I think it was weakened too much.
The measures that may be imposed under [Terrorism Prevention and Investigation Measures Act] are finite, unlike those under the [Prevention of Terrorism Act], and are less intrusive in certain respects.
Involuntary relocation is no longer permitted. This was one of the most controversial aspects of the control order regime, and relocation requirements were struck down by the courts in several cases. Overnight residence requirements which are permitted for Tpim subjects must be based somewhere in which the subject has a residence or connection.
The British Transport Police (BTP) officer injured as he confronted terrorists with nothing but his baton is in a stable condition, the force chief said.
The BTP chief constable, Paul Crowther, said: “Having visited the officer in hospital shortly after he was admitted for treatment, I was able to hear his account of what happened last night.
Richard Angell was in the Arabica bar and kitchen in Borough Market when the attack took place last night. This morning he returned to the restaurant, where he was having dinner with friends, to pay his bill and tip the staff.
In an interview with the BBC, a defiant Angell said: “If me having a gin and tonic with my friends, flirting with handsome men, hanging out with brilliant women, is what offends these people so much, I’m going to do it more not less, because that’s what makes London so great, that’s what makes it the best city in the world, and we’re going to go out and enjoy it more.”
Brilliant & defiant interview from someone who was in a restaurant attacked last night here in London. The right response from a tough city. pic.twitter.com/iyZT8V63Vc
A taxi driver has told how his passenger saved lives by using her body to barricade a restaurant door in order to stop an attacker from coming in.
Aksha Patel said the woman, who was travelling with one other person in his cab, had acted as a barrier for “a few seconds”, allowing people to escape from the back entrance of the Black and Blue restaurant.
The off-duty Met police officer injured during the attacks tackled one of the terrorists, sources have said. Another two people were injured during the confrontation.
Scotland Yard has confirmed that the off-duty officer, as well as a British Transport Police (BTP) officer, were injured in the attack.
Officers from the Met’s counter terrorism command have arrested 12 people in Barking in connection with last night’s attacks. In a statement, the Met said:
At 22.08hrs on Saturday, 3 June, we received reports that a white van had struck pedestrians on London Bridge. The van then drove to Borough Market where the three men left the vehicle and stabbed a number of people. The suspects were wearing what we now know to be hoax suicide vests.
Furqan Navi, who lived in the block raided by police in Barking this morning, said he recognised his neighbour as one of the attackers lying dead in Borough Market after he had been shot by armed police.
“He lived there with his wife and two children, he’d been there for about three years. He seemed pretty friendly but I didn’t know him,” Navi said.
Here is the full statement from Angela Merkel, the German chancellor, on the London Bridge attack:
Chancellor #Merkel on #LondonAttacks: My thoughts are with our British friends. I wish those injured a swift recovery. (BPA) pic.twitter.com/Bo2ZVaQxNj
This is how Theresa May (or whoever writes her tweets) has chosen to summarise the speech she gave earlier:
Enough is enough. Read my response to last night’s brutal terror attack: https://t.co/MHQ4SPG0aQ
President Trump is still tweeting about the London attack. Bizarrely, he seems to think what happened supports the case against gun control.
Do you notice we are not having a gun debate right now? That's because they used knives and a truck!
Here is some reaction to Theresa May’s speech (see 11.56am) from commentators and political figures.
From Nigel Farage, the former Ukip leader:
May now talks tough on terrorism. She had 6 years in charge of this as Home Secretary.
May says enough is enough. We should have reached this conclusion years ago.
Most people will see Theresa May's statement for what it is: politicising a terrorist attack because she's worried about losing the election
Theresa May has been Home Secretary and Prime Minister for the past 7 years. She has failed to protect the British people from terrorism https://t.co/YYOqFqTFIy
For May to come out the day after a terrorist attack attempting to distract from her own record by blaming the internet is utterly risible
May politicising the attack means her record is now fair game: police cuts, under resourcing of MI5 and our relationship with Saudi Arabia
Mrs May is happy enough to tolerate the extremism of the Brextremist Lie Machine newspapers spewing hate day after day.
This morning May agreed to suspend election campaigning & then politicised a tragedy in her speech. She is campaigning. Poor judgement.
When Corbyn made an obvious point 4 days after Manchester he was accused of politicising it. Are all those pious voices criticising May now?
Im livid about May's speech.She was Home Secretary for 6 years! Now she tries to win an election by saying there's "far too much tolerance."
May's was a political, campaigning speech. So who since 2010 was Home Sec then PM if "far too much tolerance of extremism in our country"? https://t.co/04VnT6AZTZ
This doesn't look like campaign suspension to me. Also remarkable from Home Secretary for 6 years. https://t.co/ToU6mmpcxF
Lewis Bennett, 39, was a witness to the attack that took place in the Globe pub in London Bridge.
His description of events has been contradicted by other witnesses. Bennett described how the attacker, who was between 25 and 30, and clean-shaven, was dressed in a black robe and had a curved knife in his belt, which was about 1ft long.
Barking residents have been speaking to my colleagues, Robert Booth and Matthew Taylor, about a raid on a property believed to be linked to one of the London attackers and where as many as five arrests are thought to have been made.
A neighbour, who asked not to be named, described the man who lived in a flat at the centre of the raid as a slim, bearded man in his mid-20s, married with a young child, no older than two. He is believed to be of Pakistani origin.
Boris Johnson, the foreign secretary, has posted a statement about the London Bridge attacks on Facebook. Here’s an extract.
Today we collectively resolve to beat the terrorists and their nihilistic creed. To those who sympathise or encourage or harbour or aid or abet these killers – in any way – we say enough is enough.
Your time is up. The wells of tolerance are running empty. We will not let you disrupt our lives or our democracy.
The US president, Donald Trump, has criticised the mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, in his latest tweet:
At least 7 dead and 48 wounded in terror attack and Mayor of London says there is "no reason to be alarmed!"
We must stop being politically correct and get down to the business of security for our people. If we don't get smart it will only get worse
The chair of the Metropolitan branch of the Police Federation has confirmed Metropolitan police officers are among the injured.
Ken Marsh said:
I can confirm that sadly some of our colleagues were among the injured in the attack last night. I join all UK police colleagues in wishing them a swift recovery. We are offering them our full support.
First and foremost our thoughts are with the families of those who lost loved ones in the horrific events last night and we wish well to those still injured. There can be no doubt that the swift response of our colleagues – both armed and unarmed – saved further lives from being lost.
There are barely words to describe their bravery – officers who ran towards danger with no thought for their own safety. Londoners can rightly be proud of their emergency services today. They are the best of the best and we thank everyone for their praise and kind comments.
Theresa May has spoken to the French president, Emmanuel Macron, about the London Bridge attack, Patrick Wintour reports.
Macron and May spoke this morning (in English) discussing victims, first stages of inquiry and need to combat extremism in social media.
A journalist reported missing in the wake of the London terror attack has been found, a friend said. Geoff Ho, a business editor with the Sunday Express, is in intensive care after allegedly being stabbed.
Friends had tweeted that Ho was put in an ambulance after being injured near the Southwark Tavern. The friend, Isabelle Oderberg, tweeted: “We have found Geoff. He is in intensive care.
The security services and police fear the London Bridge and Borough Market attack may inspire further copycat attacks.
The concern is that the Westminster attack in March, the Manchester bombing last month and London Bridge last night will have a galvanising effect on others who had been half-contemplating attacks.
Evidence gained from a recent counter-terrorism operation recorded alleged plotters being inspired by the Westminster attack in March to attempt their own atrocity.
In her speech on Sunday morning, the prime minister said terrorists were being inspired by copying previous recent attacks against the UK, as officials and ministers searched for answers as to why Britain is facing such an upsurge in jihadi activity in the last 10 weeks.
Police Scotland has warned it will crack down on any incidents of hate crime after last night’s terror attack in London, and said it will “dynamically review” all its security and safety planning, including the deployment of extra armed officers.
There was an increase in reported hate crimes in Scotland, chiefly graffiti attacks on mosques and verbal attacks, after the Manchester Arena bomb.
While we understand that the public will clearly be appalled by these events, I would urge each and every member of our communities to remain united against extremism and hate.
Police Scotland will not tolerate any attempts to target any community by any misguided individual or group and will work with all of our partners to resolve any issues and address any concerns. Should anyone become a victim of, or witness to, any hate crime, they should contact the police and report the incident.
Police Scotland continues to dynamically review all safety and security plans and operations. An element of this includes ensuring our armed policing and specialist resources are appropriately deployed.
The Australian actor who featured in Orange is the New Black, Ruby Rose, was reportedly caught up in the London terror attacks. On Saturday, Rose said on Twitter she was in “lockdown”:
I'm lost for words but please know I am currently safe in London in lockdown with @Jessicaveronica -Absolutely tragic and frightening night.
The Spanish foreign ministry has released a statement condemning the atrocity in London and stressing it solidarity with the UK.
“Spain shares the pain of the families of those who have died in these cowardly attacks and wishes all those injured a swift recovery,” it said. “The government offers the British people and authorities its total solidarity and support in the fight against terrorism.”
Another witness to the London Bridge attack has been praised for attempting to fend off the terrorists by running after them and throwing chairs, bottles and pint glasses in a bid to stop them.
Gerard Vowles, 47, said he had been watching the Champions League final at the Ship pub in Borough and then decided to go home to get something to eat. He was at the start of the south side of London Bridge when saw a woman being stabbed 10 or 15 times by three men in their 30s.
Police vans are arriving at the address in Barking raided earlier this morning.
Three police vans full of officers just arrived Barking #LondonTerrorAttackspic.twitter.com/aQzP4mZPr2
My colleague, Alan Travis, has analysed Theresa May’s four-point plan for tackling extremism in the wake of this latest attack.
Theresa May’s “time to say enough is enough” call to tackle the ideology of Islamist extremism in Britain head-on in the immediate aftermath of the London Bridge attack marks a much tougher response.
Outside 10 Downing Street, 12 hours after the London Bridge attacks, she declared that “there is far too much tolerance of extremism in our country” and said we must “deny any safe spaces for the extremists” and assert “the superiority” of British values.
Related: Theresa May's response to London Bridge attack is tougher than after Manchester
After the 7/7 terror attacks in 2005, Tony Blair announced a 12-point plan for tackling terrorism. It attempted to show the government was serious about toughening anti-terror laws, but Blair was later accused of over-reaction when it became clear that some of his proposals were impossible, or impractical, to implement.
Until now Theresa May has adopted a different approach. After the Westminster and Manchester Arena attacks there were no calls for new anti-terror laws. In fact, after Manchester, Amber Rudd, the home secretary, specifically said that the police and the intelligence services were not asking for news powers.
In terms of their planning and execution, the recent attacks are not connected but we believe we are experiencing a new trend in the threat we face.
As terrorism breeds terrorism and perpetrators are inspired to attack, not only on the basis of carefully constructed plots after years of planning and training, and not even as lone attackers radicalised online, but by copying one another and often using the crudest of means of attack.
First, while the recent attacks are not connected by common networks, they are connected in one important sense. They are bound together by the single evil ideology of Islamist extremism that preaches hatred, sows division and promotes sectarianism.
It is an ideology that claims our western values of freedom, democracy and human rights are incompatible with the religion of Islam. It is an ideology that is a perversion of Islam and a perversion of the truth.
Second, we cannot allow this ideology the safe space it needs to breed. Yet that is precisely what the internet, and the big companies that provide internet-based services provide. We need to work with allied democratic governments to reach international agreements that regulate cyberspace to prevent the spread of extremist and terrorism planning.
And we need to do everything we can at home to reduce the risks of extremism online.
Third, while we need to deprive the extremists of their safe spaces online, we must not forget about the safe spaces that continue to exist in the real world. Yes, that means taking military action to destroy Isis in Iraq and Syria. But it also means taking action here at home.
While we have made significant progress in recent years, there is – to be frank – far too much tolerance of extremism in our country. So we need to become far more robust in identifying it and stamping it out across the public sector and across society.
To defeat extremism, we need to learn from how civil society and the state took on racism in the twentieth century. We will consider what new criminal offences might need to be created, and what new aggravated offences might need to be established, to defeat the extremists. We will support the public sector and civil society in identifying extremists, countering their messages and promoting pluralistic, British values. And we will establish a Commission for Countering Extremism to identify examples of extremism and expose them, to support the public sector and civil society, and help the government to identify policies to defeat extremism and promote pluralistic values.
Fourth, we have a robust counter-terrorism strategy, that has proved successful over many years. But as the nature of the threat we face becomes more complex, more fragmented, more hidden, especially online, the strategy needs to keep up.
So in light of what we are learning about the changing threat, we need to review Britain’s counter-terrorism strategy to make sure the police and security services have all the powers they need.
A woman from Brisbane is among two Australians injured in the attack, according to the Brisbane Courier Mail. Candice Hedge, 31, was dining in London on Saturday night with her boyfriend when she was stabbed in the neck. She had finished working as waitress at Elliot’s restaurant in London Bridge about 10.30pm and was sitting at the bar having a drink when a man came up behind her and slashed her throat with a knife.
It’s understood she had her back to the man and he came up behind her, grabbed her head and slashed her throat. She was briefly in a coma but is now awake and speaking with friends.
My colleague, Peter Walker, has filed this take on the response to the attack by the prime minister, Theresa May.
Theresa May has warned there has been “far too much tolerance of extremism” in the UK and promised to step up the fight against Islamist terrorism in the wake of the London Bridge attack, saying “enough is enough”.
The prime minister struck a sombre and serious tone as she spoke outside No 10 on Sunday morning after chairing a meeting of the Cobra committee following the attack in the centre of the capital that left seven dead.
Related: London attack: Theresa May says 'enough is enough' after seven killed
Felipe Vaiano, a waiter at Roast restaurant in the former floral hall at Borough Market. He told the Guardian:
As we were cleaning stuff two people came into the restaurant crying and panicking, at first we didn’t know what was going on or what to do. Then they tried to talk but they were in such complete panic, they couldn’t really get words out. All they said was there were stabbings downstairs. So we quickly shut all the doors and stayed inside for about an hour.
We finally left when the police came up to the restaurant and said “you need to leave, follow us.” We ran out into the street and it was full of paramedics everywhere. We were then taken to safety through an escape route in the London underground. I think we were taken to Southwark. We ran and I had nothing with me. When we got out I was near the nightclub Pulse and it was there that I was given an Oyster card by the security guard to get me home.
The intelligence agencies and police recommended at this morning’s Cobra meeting against raising the threat level from severe to critical, which suggests they believe that there is no one else at large, Guardian security correspondent Ewen MacAskill reports.
After the Manchester bomb attack, the threat level was raised to critical, which suggests another attack is imminent because the police and security agencies could not be sure at the time that the bomber Salman Abedi had acted alone. But soon after the threat level was dropped back to severe.
London’s fire chief said firefighters rushed to shut down gas supplies at premises near the attacks. The London fire commissioner, Dany Cotton, who was at London Fire Brigade headquarters shortly after the incident, said:
Our thoughts today are with all of those affected by this horrific terrorist attack in Southwark. Once again I am proud of all of the London Fire Brigade staff involved in the emergency service response.
London Fire Brigade officers were deployed to assist police and other emergency service colleagues at London Bridge and Borough Market. Specially trained officers were on site to treat casualties and carried out specific tasks, including shutting down the gas supply in a number of premises to ensure the area was safe.
My colleague Haroon Siddique reports that police officers have stationed themselves outside St Thomas’ hospital.
Two police officers have just taken up positions outside the main entrance of St Thomas' hospital pic.twitter.com/dsabP1JE4M
Witness reports of the bravery of Londoners continue to be shared across media.
As the attacks unfolded, ordinary people out to enjoy Saturday night or those who were working in the area tried to help victims and fend off the perpetrators. One of them was a taxi driver, who told LBC:
I saw the people running away, saw the van went through one of the traffic lights system. If you know London Bridge itself there’s an area called Nancy steps, famous for Oliver, he’d knocked over loads of people down there. Three guys jumped out, of the same description as the guy that took out the Manchester people, similar in looks to him, and they took out these long blades, I’d say about 12 inches-plus long, and just went randomly running along Borough High Street stabbing people. A young girl got stabbed in the chest, laying there, it’s so sad.
As soon as I saw this, I thought, ‘I’m gonna try and hit him, I’m gonna try and knock him down’. I spun the cab round, I was about to ram one of them, but he sidestepped me.
It was sickening. I didn’t know what to do. There was two young girls, I picked them up, and just took them away from there, dropped them off as far away as possible.
The Home Office has set up a webpage here with information about the support available for people affected by the attacks.
The page contains advice on where to seek urgent assistance and information, including the official helplines for the incident. It also provides guidance on support services available for victims, witnesses, family members and all those affected by the attacks.
Jo Wace, 64, a teacher from Dartford, and her friend were walking towards London Bridge station as the attack happened.
We’d been at the Globe theatre watching a performance of Romeo and Juliet and had been chatting about it afterwards so we were late to leave the theatre. At about 10.20pm, we were walking along the pedestrianised part of the South Bank, we’d just passed the Anchor Bankside pub when we saw a large group of people rushing towards us. We assumed that they had to be running towards something not away from it but then one person told us they thought there had been an incident and then we heard the sirens.
The crowd were very calm, very orderly, but then we came across two young French men in their 20s. One of them was very upset and though his friend was trying to calm him down, he couldn’t. I have dual French citizenship and can speak French so I approached him. He was saying: “Look at my hands, I can’t stop them shaking.” He told us he was right there when the van ploughed into people right in front of him. He and his friend turned and ran but they lost another French friend, who was with them, in the confusion. As I was talking to him, we heard a big bang and we realised we should move away.
Reports suggest Southwark Bridge is reopening.
Police cordon getting wound back up Southwark bridge road. I'm told the bridge is now open @BBCRadioLondon#Londonattackpic.twitter.com/X8wpJyNo8A
Irene Smith, who lives near London Bridge, said she heard gunshots several hours after the area had been cleared.
“At about 1.15am I could hear two gunshots in the distance,” she said. About 45 minutes later she heard “another pop – it felt like gunshots”, she said.
Reports suggest a number of people have been taken away by police from the block of flats in Barking.
Aerial footage shows an ambulance parked outside the high-rise building, a number of police officers and a tape cordon.
Rudd says the government wants to do more to stop the way young men are being “groomed” into radicalisation. She says the messages of hate have changed. The terrorists are no longer encouraging Britons to join the Caliphate. Instead they are trying to “weaponise” people in this country.
Q: We cannot tackle this on our own?
Amber Rudd, the home secretary, is on ITV’s Peston on Sunday now. She says the joint terrorism analysis centre (JTAC) has not recommended raising the threat level.
It was raised after the Manchester Arena attack because there was a fear that the bomber could have been working with others who might be planning further attacks. But JTAC does not see the need to raise it now. The threat level is still at severe, meaning an attack is highly likely. After Manchester it briefly went up to critical, meaning an attack was seen as imminent.
Sky News is showing live footage of a police operation under way at a block of flats in Barking. The Guardian is yet to verify whether it is connected to the attacks in London Bridge and Borough Market but the Sky News correspondent says it is.
May says national campaigning would resume in full on Monday. The election will go ahead as planned on Thursday.
We will come together and, united, we will take on our enemies, she says. And that’s it. We’ll post a full summary shortly.
May says this is the third terror attack Britain has experienced in three months, after the Westminster and the Manchester Arena attacks.
May says the UK fell victim again to a brutal terrorist attack.
Just before 10.10pm last night the police received reports a van had hit pedestrians on London Bridge. It then went to Borough Market, where three men got out and attacked people with knives. They all appeared to be wearing explosive vests.
Theresa May is making her statement outside Number 10 now.
Earlier, she chaired a meeting of Cobra, the government’s emergency committee.
Arvin Vaziri, 27, a student from Sweden was in A&E at University College Hospital on Saturday night when he heard about the terrorist attack.
A few minutes later the first victims began to arrive.
We were in one of the cubicles in A&E being seen by a nurse as my wife, Maria Sand had severe stomach pains. At about 1045pm we heard an intercom message on all the speakers saying that there had been a major incident and all available staff had to come and have a meeting. We heard that all the patients who weren’t critical had to be sent home. A nurse came into our cubicle and assured us we weren’t taking up anyone’s space as we needed to be there and could stay. He [the nurse] said that there had been a possible incident and people with gun wounds and stab wounds were on their way to the hospital.
We began to hear the ambulance sirens and then people came in on trolleys - there were a few of them, we were told one was a gunshot victim and the others were stabbings. Doctors and nurses continued to check up on my wife and then we were moved from our cubicle as they needed all of them - I think there are about 16 cubicles. It was very professional but very hectic.
Emily Thornberry, the shadow foreign secretary, told ITV’s Peston that the election must go ahead on Thursday.
We need to be out there and we need to have the election and it needs to be on Thursday and we need to make sure that people come out defiantly and vote. Because in doing so they are underlining our fundamental values and showing how different we are [to the terrorists].
What they are trying to do is separate the very essence of London. We are an example to the world of a multi-racial, multi-national city. We can show the world how it can be. And they just want to undermine it. And we will not let them. We have to make sure that we continue to stick together defiantly and make sure that we work together, again as a community.
Guy’s and St Thomas’s NHS Foundation Trust dealt with nine patients, five of whom have since been discharged.
A spokeswoman for the trust said:
Following the terror incidents in London Bridge and Borough Market last night, we have treated nine patients at St Thomas’s - six men and three women. Five of the patients have since been discharged and four patients – two men and two women – have been admitted.
This police officer has posted a poignant message on Twitter:
Stared shift taking photos with children playing on the Southbank. Ended it giving CPR to innocent victims attacked at London Bridge.
Tim Farron, the Lib Dem leader, has said that the general election must go ahead and that Lib Dem national campaigning will only be suspended for a short time. In a statement, he said:
The terrorists kill us because they hate us and what we stand for. They hate our democracy and our freedom. We refuse to let them win. We must respond with a vigorous commitment to our democracy.
The election must go ahead as planned. It is right that we suspend our national campaigning for a short while out of respect for those affected by these tragic events, but local campaigning can and must continue.
The Ulster Unionist party has announced it is suspending campaigning in Northern Ireland in the general election campaign on Sunday as a mark of respect for the dead and injured of the London Bridge/Borough Market attack.
The Democratic Unionist leader and former first minister of Northern Ireland, Arlene Foster, tweeted this morning:
Thinking of all affected by these horrific incidents in London. Thoughts & prayers also with emergency services at the scene #LondonBridgehttps://t.co/fJzYnjTQxr
Here is some more international reaction to the London Bridge attack.
From the Russian president Vladimir Putin
Putin: cruelty and cynicism of London attack are appalling. Condemns terrorism, expresses condolences to British people. pic.twitter.com/dPBsa9cmgD
Attacks in London are shocking & anguishing. We condemn them. My thoughts are with families of the deceased & prayers with the injured.
Appalled by events in #London. My thoughts are with the victims and the British people, who will persevere
Solidarité totale avec Londres et les britanniques. Les agents de l'ambassade et à Paris sont mobilisés pour nos compatriotes sur place
French Foreign Minister @JY_LeDrian expresses "full solidarity with our British ally" after terrorist attack in London #LondonBridge
With #London, the open lively bright city we all love https://t.co/Qcq2z4UqHH
We mourn in solidarity with the victims and the families of heinous #LondonBridge attack.These acts must be stopped! #UnitedAgainstTerrorism
All my thoughts are with victims and their families after #LondonAttacks. We all stand together with the U.K. in solidarity.
The Russian president, Vladimir Putin, on Sunday condemned the “cruelty and cynicism” of the London attack and called for greater joint efforts in the fight against terror, the Kremlin said.
“Putin expresses his profound condolences for the British people and condemns the terrorist attack carried out hours ago in London,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told Russian news agencies.
As of 10 AM @metpoliceuk confirmed no Russian citizens among victims of #LondonAttack#LondonBridgepic.twitter.com/klccJQux85
Kieran Lovelace was on his way home from work in Liverpool Street and crossed London Bridge moments after the attack.
I was strolling home, Snapchatting away. As I’m walking across the bridge I saw (what) I thought was a car accident because I saw a lady talking to the police. I saw an injured couple probably in their mid-30s.
There was a load of people crowding around her. Everyone was civilians like myself trying to help out. I probably arrived there a minute after it happened. As I was going down the bridge I saw probably six or seven people from one end of the bridge to the other, injured, passed out, covered in blood.
I saw the armed forces come in. It happened so quickly, I have to give props to the forces because they got there so quickly.
I wasn’t aware of the incident in Borough Market, I was only aware of the bridge. People poured out of London Bridge station as it was evacuated and everyone was directed towards Tower Bridge.
Nobody knew what was happening: I had to ask people. I just saw all this carnage.
There’s a statue and there was a lady there with three kids. They were all hiding, she was blocking them. Just to see the terror on their face was a horrible thing to see.
#LondonBridge boy dem response on point. pic.twitter.com/DSv2JWWP8e
Jeremy Corbyn, the Labour leader, has just told Sky News that the London Bridge attack was “dreadful” and praised the “brilliant” work of the emergency services.
He confirmed Labour was suspending national campaigning for a time, but he said the party would not let this disrupt its campaign for long.
We won’t be campaigning nationally during today, but we will resume later on because I think it’s important to give a message that democracy must prevail. If we allow these attacks to disrupt our democratic process, then we all lose.
I hope it will not disrupt our process, because we have to have a democratic process. But I also hope we will reflect on the need to have sufficient police officers on our streets, but also sufficient intelligence to look at the terrorist threat.
But in response, as in Manchester, all communities must come together. Our strength is the strength of our community unity. That was shown in Manchester straight after the horrible event there and I’m sure it will be the same in London.
A statement from the prime minister in Downing Street is imminent.
I have just led a meeting of COBR in response to the appalling London attack and I will soon be making a statement in Downing Street.
Simina Motalib lives in Borough Market and was making her way home last night when she was caught up in the panic, as people ran screaming through the street, reports Hannah Ellis-Petersen.
I live literally next to Borough Market. I was coming out of the tube station going home and I just suddenly heard people shouting ‘run, run’ and then there was this loud scream, it was a young woman, I think. So I just ran. My hands were shaking but I just ran through Borough Market and managed to get inside my house. As I went in I could see people running everywhere, they were crying, there were shoes on the floor. I could see an elderly couple trying to run but they couldn’t keep up with everyone. Neighbours were opening their doors trying to usher people in their houses. It was such a horrible thing to see all that panic. We didn’t know what was going on. I’ve lived here for 28 years and you don’t expect that to happen on your doorstep.
The first thing I saw when I opened the door this morning was blood literally everywhere. There were shoes, and clothes scattered and just so much blood on the pavements and on the road.
My colleague Alice Ross is in the London Bridge/Borough area.
I've counted 16 police vans and an ambulance on the cordon at Borough High St #LondonBridgeAttackpic.twitter.com/54Gp05WAzj
Sainsbury's staff are bringing sandwiches and snacks to the police #LondonBridgepic.twitter.com/hHlNFtOlBy
Paul Nuttall, the Ukip leader, has refused to suspend Ukip campaigning because he believes that is what terrorists would want. In a statement, he said:
With more people murdered on the streets of our capital city last night by Islamist terrorists, it is more important than ever for us to confront this evil with the democratic principles that have made this country what it is.
Our hearts go out to the family and friends of those who lost their lives last night. The courage and quick response of our emergency services have yet again saved countless lives and in the midst of such a tragedy, deserve our respect and admiration.
Asked if she knew the “identity of the suspects”, Dick replied: “I don’t.”
Dick said the Joint Terrorism Analysis Centre (JTAC) would be considering whether to raise the official threat level to its highest – from severe to critical.
The threat level was raised and lowered again in the wake of the Manchester Arena bombing.
JTAC will be assessing whether the threat level will go up or not. If it were to go up or if we felt there was a particular need for military support we absolutely would ask for it.
My working assumption is we will of course be sharing information appropriately with our American colleagues,” she said. This comes after US officials leaked intimate details of the Manchester Arena investigation to US press.
We have very good resources, we have extraordinarily trained people. We have excellent working relationship with our colleagues in the agencies.
These sorts of things are hard to predict and sometimes sadly as has been proven in the recent weeks are hard to prevent. In light of Westminster, Manchester, we will look at our resource levels and how we use them.
Scotland’s political parties have also suspended national campaigning today, with Scottish Labour’s leader Kezia Dugdale cancelling her event in their target seat of East Lothian and Willie Rennie, the Scottish Lib Dem leader, cancelling his in their target seat of East Dunbartonshire.
The Scottish National party said “appropriate” local campaigning would continue but events with Nicola Sturgeon would not, although that would be reviewed during the day. “Our thoughts are with those affected by the frightening events in London,” a spokesman said.
Respect for those who lost their lives must be our priority. However it is also important, especially so close to an election, that the terrorists do not succeed in their attempts to undermine our democracy.
My thoughts and prayers go out to the victims and their families after the horrific terrorist attacks in London last night.
Once again our nation finds itself under attack from those who hate our way of life and seek to change us. But we will not allow that to happen, because the values that they hate - democracy, the rule of law and tolerance - are what make our country so special. It’s why Britain is a beacon for other nations around the world. We will not let the terrorists win.
As in Manchester, and in the aftermath of the Westminster attacks, people will come together in the coming days and demonstrate that our way of life is precious and will not be surrendered to those determined to spread fear.
This is another devastating attack. Plaid Cymru extends its condolences to the people affected and the emergency services that work so hard in these difficult circumstances. People deserve to live their lives without fear, and we must come together to reject hate.
Dick paid tribute to the police, emergency services and members of the public who came to the aid of the injured – and confronted the attackers.
She said:
In the early hours of this morning I visited one of the hospitals in London. There, I heard truly remarkable stories and extraordinarily brave actions by officers on and off duty first on the scene. I heard of colleagues of other emergency services and members of the public who ran towards the danger as the incident unfolded.
Many, many people risked their own safety to help others and treat those seriously injured and indeed to confront suspects involved. The courage of those people during and following the attack was extraordinary and I pay tribute to all of them ... I’m sure they helped to save lives.
Dick says the incident is under control but police officers need to conduct thorough search of the area to make sure all are accounted for.
The cordon will remain, she says.
I appreciate this has been a terrifying experience for many people.
Cressida Dick, the Met police commissioner, has said seven members of public have died in the attack, at least 48 are injured.
David Davis, the Brexit secretary, has just told BBC News it would be wrong to postpone the general election. That is not what the public would want, he said. And, even if it was desirable, he said he was “not sure that it can be legally done”.
Davis said he did not know whether the attack was intended to disrupt the election. If it was, that was all the more reason not to postpone it, he said.
I think we are locked into [June 8]. I think, actually, the public would want us to be locked in. There is a balance of things here. Clearly we want to respect the people who have been injured and killed, we want to pay proper respect, therefore we don’t want to carry on across it. But on the other hand the people doing this are doing it because they despise the freedoms we have, and those freedoms can be the freedom to go out on a Saturday night, or the freedom to cast a vote.
And it may be - we don’t know, at least I don’t know, I’m not briefed this morning on this - I don’t know whether or not they are deliberately trying to disrupt the general election, or whether this is a coincidence of timing ... in which case, all the more reason not to defer, not to deflect, to as far as possible, within the grounds of propriety, to actually not let this put us off course.
Greater Manchester police confirm the One Manchester concert and Michael Carrick testimonial match are to go ahead.
Statement from Assistant Chief Constable Garry Shewan ahead of today's events. pic.twitter.com/hlAK7MUEOf
We’re deeply saddened to hear about last night’s horrific attacks in London and our thoughts are with everyone affected, including the emergency services responding to the incident.
There are two large-scale events taking place in Greater Manchester today and we would like to assure people that these will still take place, but with additional security in place to ensure the safety of everyone.
Borough High Street is still sealed off a couple of hundred metres
from the market, with an unsurprisingly heavy police presence on the cordon, watched by a clutch of TV crews, Alice Ross reports.
A single bunch of sunflowers lay on a traffic island.
Jean-Yves Le Drian, France’s foreign minister, has said there are four French victims injured in the London Bridge attack, one of them seriously.
In a tweet posted in the early hours of Sunday, the Spanish prime minister, Mariano Rajoy, said he was monitoring the attacks with worry and sadness, adding: “Our solidarity and support to the authorities and to the British people.”
Sigo con preocupación los ataques en Londres, triste información. Nuestra solidaridad y apoyo a las autoridades y al pueblo británico. MR
Mi pesar por nueva noche trágica #Londonbridge#BoroughMarket#Londres
Del lado de las víctimas y sus familias
Activado servicio emergencia https://t.co/GI9iG6UVVr
Telfnos emergencia adicionales al +447712764151 o 07712764151
España+447938633876; +447582314487
Reino Unido 07938633876; 07582314487
Sadiq Khan, the mayor of London, said earlier the general election should not be postponed. “They want to stop us voting on Thursday in the general election … we can’t allow them to do that,” he said. (See 7.22am.)
In practice, postponing the general election is not a realistic possibility, because it would be extremely difficult. Many people have already cast postal ballots. David Boothroyd, a parliamentary expert, reckons the government would have to declare a state of emergency for this to happen.
Some comments about postponing the election, but this is procedurally difficult as I don't think there's any legal ability to do so
Rule 42 of the Parliamentary Election Rules allows postponement of the poll in the event of riot - for one day: https://t.co/jytjosZIRp
So the only way to intervene in election timing would be to declare a state of emergency under the Civil Contingencies Act
A man from New Zealand has been put in an induced coma after being seriously injured in the attacks, New Zealand media report.
Oliver Dowling, from Christchurch, was among those injured in the Borough Market stabbing, according to his family. His sister, Freddy, says he’s in an induced coma after being stabbed in the face, neck and stomach. The injuries missed his vital organs, she says.
Note from editor of @thesundaytimes, sent to subscribers of newsletter this morning. pic.twitter.com/sjbfz69JXo
The BBC has spoken to witnesses who heard one of the attackers shout “this is for Allah” before stabbing a woman several times.
Alex was in the Mudlark pub, close to Southwark Cathedral.
A woman probably in her early 20s staggered into the pub and she was bleeding heavily from the neck and from her mouth. It appeared to myself and to my friends that her throat had been cut. People went to her aid. The pub was then closed. We saw police on the roads nearby. As we were told to leave the area by armed police, as we were running away from there, I could see to my left there was a further individual having CPR performed on them by the emergency services.
Three men jumped out of the van and that’s when they started attacking people on the road. As they headed down the stairs, as they were running towards the people they were shouting this is for Allah.
It was swerving from side to side and I could see it hitting people and there was a group about 20 or 30 yards in front of me. The van hit those people. At that moment I was doing that calculation of trying to work out which direction should I run.
I saw a man in red with quite a large blade. I am guessing 10 inches. He was stabbing a man, maybe three times, fairly calmly. It looked like the man maybe had been trying to intervene but there wasn’t much he could do. He was stabbed quite coldly and slumped to the ground.
I threw something at them, maybe like a stool, a chair, and as I threw it at them it him one of them, maybe two of them on the head here, on the back. Then they ran towards me to try and stab me so I ran away because I knew if I would have slipped over I would be a dead man, I’d be dead, I’d have been killed there and then.
The leader of the Labour party, Jeremy Corbyn, has confirmed national campaigning has been suspended. He said:
We are all shocked and horrified by the brutal attacks in London. My thoughts are with the families and friends of those who have died and the many who have been injured. Today, we will all grieve for their loss.
I would like to thank the police and emergency services for their bravery and professionalism in acting to save lives and deal with these appalling acts of terrorism, as well as NHS staff and members of the public who sought to protect others.
Hi, Jamie Grierson here, taking over live coverage of the horrific terror attacks in London last night at London Bridge and Borough Market.
Praying for London ♡
The Scottish National party will also suspend campaigning for the general election today.
Party leader and Scotland’s first minister Nicola Sturgeon said she would chair a meeting of the devolved government’s resilience committee to discuss the attack.
Following the horrific terrorist attack in the centre of London last night, we are working closely with the UK government and Police Scotland to monitor the situation …
My thoughts are with the families and friends of those who have tragically lost their lives and with everyone who has been harmed or affected by these terrible incidents.
The meeting of the government’s emergency Cobra committee is beginning shortly; ministers are arriving at Downing Street. London mayor Sadiq Khan will also attend.
The German chancellor, Angela Merkel, has expressed her “sadness and dismay” at news of the attack:
Today, we are united beyond all borders in horror and sorrow, but also in determination.
In the fight against every form of terrorism, we stand firmly and with determination at Britain’s side.
At least 48 injured people were taken to hospitals across the capital after the attack.
Fourteen of them – six women and eight men – were taken to King’s College hospital, in Denmark Hill, south London. A spokesman for the hospital said this morning:
The emergency department at King’s College hospital received 14 casualties (six females and eight males) following the incidents at London Bridge and Borough Market in central London.
One patient has been discharged.
The BBC has spoken to several eyewitnesses who have given accounts of several stages of the attack. Mark told the BBC he was taking photographs on London Bridge when he saw the van hitting pedestrians on the bridge:
It was swerving from side to side and I could see it hitting people and there was a group about 20 or 30 yards in front of me. The van hit those people. At that moment I was doing that calculation of trying to work out which direction should I run.
I saw a man in red with quite a large blade. I am guessing 10 inches. He was stabbing a man, maybe three times, fairly calmly. It looked like the man maybe had been trying to intervene but there wasn’t much he could do. He was stabbed quite coldly and slumped to the ground.
I threw something at them, maybe like a stool, a chair, and as I threw it at them it him one of them, maybe two of them on the head here, on the back. Then they ran towards me to try and stab me so I ran away because I knew if I would have slipped over I would be a dead man, I’d be dead, I’d have been killed there and then.
A woman probably in her early 20s staggered into the pub and she was bleeding heavily from the neck and from her mouth. It appeared to myself and to my friends that her throat had been cut. People went to her aid.
The pub was then closed. We saw police on the roads nearby. As we were told to leave the area by armed police, as we were running away from there, I could see to my left there was a further individual having CPR performed on them by the emergency services.
Following French media reports that at least two French citizens were injured in the attack, here is the statement from the president’s office:
The statement from the Élysée said:
The attack which struck London, days after that which took place in Manchester, is a new abominable and cowardly attack against our free society.
Fellow French citizens are among the injured. France is putting everything in place to assist them.
The Conservatives have suspended national election campaigning after the terrorist attack on London Bridge in which at least six people were killed and the three attackers shot dead by police.
While local work such as leafleting would go on, the party said it had decided to not campaign nationally on Sunday, with the suspension to be reviewed over the day, and as more details emerge of the attack and its aftermath.
We're binning Marr show this morning to allow rolling news coverage but will talk to E Thornberry and D Davis for political reaction
Following the London terror attack the Andrew Marr Show and Sunday Politics have been cancelled
My colleague Hannah Ellis-Petersen is in Borough this morning:
Dozens of people who live in the Borough market area or were staying at hotels nearby have spent the night sleeping in the lobby of the Hilton London Bridge, huddled under duvets on chairs and makeshift beds made from sofas and benches.
Ian, who lives on the riverfront near Borough market and has not been allowed back to his flat, said he had been eating at Fish restaurant on the other side of Borough market from the attack when at around 10.15pm they noticed people running past the window screaming.
Australian prime minister Malcolm Turnbull says one Australian has been injured, and officials are looking into reports a second was also caught up in the attack:
One case has been confirmed and the Australian concerned is in hospital. In the other case, we are continuing to make inquiries.
Our officials will continue to provide every assistance they can to Australians affected by this shocking attack and their families.
A man reported missing by friends overnight has been located in hospital, where he is intensive care, Press Association reports:
Geoff Ho, a business editor with the Sunday Express, is in intensive care after allegedly being stabbed.
Friends had tweeted that Ho was put in an ambulance after being injured near the Southwark Tavern.
My colleague Alice Ross is at the Andaz hotel in Liverpool Street, which was used overnight as a rescue centre for less seriously injured victims of the attack:
Arthur Ventura, from Birmingham, was staying at the Andaz hotel, where the walking wounded were taken. He was meeting a friend at about 11pm when he saw people arriving. “I saw a few victims or casualties that were taken here to the hotel,” he said.
“All the casualties were taken to the first floor to be treated.”
At least two French citizens have been injured, one seriously, Reuters reports, citing the French president’s office.
Khan confirms he will be attending the government’s emergency Cobra committee meeting this morning.
He says, although campaigning is suspended today, Thursday’s general election should go ahead:
They [the terrorists] want to stop us enjoying the freedoms that we have … they want to stop us voting on Thursday in the general election … we can’t allow them to do that.
I’m not an advocate of postponing the election, I’m a passionate believer in democracy … One of the things these terrorists hate is democracy.
The threat level remains severe … [that] means an attack across the country is still highly likely.
Londoners will see an increased police presence today and over the next few days … some of it armed officers.
The mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, has been speaking about last night’s attack. He says he is “appalled and furious that these cowardly terrorists would deliberately target innocent Londoners”.
There can be no justification …
Six people have been killed, more than 40 have been injured – some of them, I’m afraid are critical.
As a result of their swift action, fewer people have died than would otherwise have been the case.
Other major parties are also expected not to campaign today. The Conservative party has just issued this statement:
The Conservative party will not be campaigning nationally today. We will review as the day goes on and as more details of the attack emerge.
Images from the scene this morning show the crashed van driven by the suspects across London Bridge:
Dawn over London Bridge - the forensics team at work pic.twitter.com/r5YMrGOovC
Robert Peston, ITV’s political editor, reports that national campaigning for Thursday’s general election has been suspended:
As of now, politicians to suspend national campaigning today, but local campaigning to continue. That feels right. What do you think?
Overnight, my colleague Carmen Fishwick was at Liverpool Street, outside the Andaz hotel, which is being used as an official rescue centre.
She reported that there were four ambulances, an ambulance control unit and at least 30 emergency service workers and armed guards on the scene, with at least two people being treated: one with a head injury and a woman in a wheelchair:
I spoke to a man who witnessed the immediate aftermath of the attack, whose car has been impounded by police.
A 25-year-old man, who wishes to remain anonymous, was driving across the bridge when he saw a man and a pregnant woman unconscious on the road. He says they were there for at least five minutes before the emergency services arrived.
Saturday night’s terrorist incidents in London prompted the first use of a new police warning to the public, to “run, hide, tell” in the event of an attack.
#Londonbridge#boroughmarket#vauxhallpic.twitter.com/a7OciBEBjH
Initial police reports said at least 20 people had been taken to hospitals across the capital. That number has now risen to 48. Other “walking wounded” were treated at the scene.
An ambulance crew arrived at the scene six minutes after the first emergency call.
Our thoughts are with all of those affected by the incident at London Bridge and their friends and family.
We took 48 patients to five hospitals across London and treated a number of others at the scene for minor injuries. Police have confirmed that sadly, six people also died at the scene.
London Ambulance Service confirms it has taken 48 people to five hospitals across London.
It says that is in addition to the six people who died at the scene.
With three suspects shot dead by police, investigators will be trying to establish quickly whether a wider network was involved.
Met police assistant commissioner Mark Rowley said that officers believed all the attackers directly involved in the attack had been killed:
We believe three people were involved, but we still have got some more inquiries to do to be 100% confident in that.
Bethany Atkin, who works for the Guardian, was at Boro Bistro, a restaurant that sits under an overpass on Borough High Street, close to where the van driven by the attackers crashed:
We were sitting outside under umbrellas underneath the bridge and there was a shower of rubble that landed on the umbrellas. A van had crashed into the bridge.
We stood up, everyone was moving, I saw a man who was bleeding. I don’t know how he was injured. We ran into the restaurant and tried to find a safe place, but there wasn’t one.
We saw a woman with blood, about 20 metres from the bridge. I saw her lying down on the floor.
A man was shouting and then everyone started screaming and running away from the man. It was very sinister.
Related: 'It was a rampage': witnesses describe horror of London terrorist attacks
The prime minister, Theresa May, was among political leaders expressing their thanks to emergency services for their response to the terror attack.
May has broken off from campaigning for Thursday’s general election, and will chair an emergency meeting of the government’s crisis committee, Cobra, on Sunday morning. The mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, will also attend.
This image shows the journey taken by the van – north to south across London Bridge, before crashing in front of the Barrowboy and Banker pub at the top of Borough High Street.
Police said the assailants then left the vehicle and ran through Borough Market, stabbing people in bars and restaurants.
The crashed van apparently used by the three terror suspects can be seen this morning in front of the Barrow Boy and Banker pub, opposite London Bridge station:
As the sun rises, the grim reality sets in #LondonAttackspic.twitter.com/IjgiBIw3qA
The attackers were shot by police from an armed response vehicle, which patrol around Britain ferrying armed officers to incidents.
The numbers of ARVs were increased across Britain were increased after the November 2015 terrorist attacks in Paris.
Peter Rhodes, the London Ambulance Service assistant director of operations, has given more information on the emergency response to the attacks:
We have now taken over 30 patients to five hospitals across London following the incident at London Bridge. A number of other patients were treated for less serious injuries at the scene. Our thoughts are with everyone affected.
Over 80 of our medics have responded to this incident, including ambulance crews, advanced paramedics, specialist response teams and an advanced trauma team from London’s air ambulance.
Dozens of Londoners and businesses have opened their doors to people stranded in the capital after the London Bridge attack by sharing offers on social media with the hashtag #SofaForLondon.
Nadine Stares said: “Sofabed available if you are stranded due to this sad incident at London Bridge #SofaForLondon”.
Related: #sofaforlondon: residents open their doors in wake of London Bridge attack
Three terrorist attackers killed six people and injured 30 in an atrocity that started with them driving a van into people on London Bridge and then stabbing people in nearby Borough Market.
Police said they had shot dead all three terrorists – who were wearing hoax suicide bomb vests – after armed officers rushed to the scene.
Footage taken by Lara Al-Ostta shows members of the emergency services helping people who are lying injured on London Bridge:
World leaders have sent swift messages of support even as the full extent of the terrorist attacks in London was still unfolding.
French president Emmanuel Macron said France was “more then ever” at the side of the UK. Canadian prime minister Justin Trudeau tweeted about the “awful news from London” and to direct Canadians in need of support to official channels.
Related: World leaders voice solidarity with UK in wake of London Bridge attacks
The White House has provided a readout of a telephone call between Donald Trump and Theresa May:
President Donald J Trump spoke with prime minister Theresa May of the United Kingdom today.
The president offered his condolences for the brutal terror attacks on June 3 in central London.
Apart from the wounded British Transport Police officer, we have no details yet about the identities of those injured or killed – including the three suspects who were shot dead by police.
Peter Rhodes, London Ambulance Service’s assistant director of operations, said they had taken “over 30 patients to five hospitals across London … a number of other patients were treated for less serious injuries at the scene”.
British Transport Police has confirmed one of its on-duty officers was seriously injured in the attack.
The male officer was one of the first on the scene “after he responded to calls for help from the public”, BTP said.
Rowley, taking questions from reporters, clarified that police believe that only the three people shot dead by police were involved in the attack, but said enquiries were ongoing.
He did say that suspicions that explosives were involved – prompted by pictures showing what looked like canisters around a suspect’s chest – have “now been ruled out”.
Here is the statement from assistant commissioner Mark Rowley:
Since late yesterday evening [Saturday, 3 June], the Metropolitan Police Service has been responding to incidents in the London Bridge and Borough Market areas of south London. We are treating this as a terrorist incident and a full investigation is already underway, led by the Met’s Counter Terrorism Command.
You will understand that our knowledge of the incident is still growing but what we understand at the present time is:
The ongoing operation is led by the Met, working closely with British Transport Police, City of London Police, the London Ambulance Service and the London Fire Brigade.
At this stage, we believe that six people have died in addition to the three attackers shot dead by police. And at least 20 casualties have been taken to six hospitals across London, but numbers are still rising.
Here are the key facts from that Metropolitan police update:
Mark Rowley, assistant commissioner for the Metropolitan police, has confirmed that the vehicle drove from London Bridge to Borough Market, hitting pedestrians on the bridge.
There, he said, the suspects left the vehicle and stabbed a number of people, including an on-duty police officer, who sustained serious injuries.
Police confirm three male suspects were shot and killed by armed officers.
Six people have been killed, the police have confirmed.
Police officers on the scene at Borough Market say the area will be closed for at least 24 hours. Dozens of fire rescue officers in hard hats and overalls are just leaving the scene.
Fire rescue teams leave Borough area. Police officer tells me it will be close for at least 24 hours pic.twitter.com/ar3vkpvUMO
Ariana Grande, whose concert in Manchester was the target of a terrorist attack less than two weeks ago, has tweeted her support for those caught up in tonight’s events:
Praying for London ♡
Here is the full statement from the home secretary, Amber Rudd:
This was an horrific attack in the heart of our capital city, targeted at people enjoying their evening with friends and family.
My thoughts are with the victims and all those affected by this incident.
Guy’s and St Thomas’ hospitals, the closest to the site of the attacks, are on lockdown “to keep patients, relatives and staff safe”, they have reported, along with Evelina, a children’s hospital in south London.
London Ambulance Service has said at least 20 people have been taken to six hospitals across the capital.
Harun Khan, secretary general of the Muslim Council of Britain, has issued a statement condemning the attacks on London:
I am appalled and angered by the terrorist attacks at London Bridge and Borough Market, in my home city. These acts of violence were truly shocking and I condemn them in the strongest terms.
Muslims everywhere are outraged and disgusted at these cowards who once again have destroyed the lives of our fellow Britons. That this should happen in this month of Ramadan, when many Muslims were praying and fasting only goes to show that these people respect neither life nor faith.
One of the questions the latest attack will prompt is why, after more than a decade of relative security, there have suddenly been three major attacks in the course of three months.
The police and the British domestic intelligence agency MI5 had a good record in combating terrorism, compared with other European countries such as France and Belgium.
The Met has opened a casualty bureau for those concerned about family and friends who might have been caught up in the attacks.
There are two numbers to call:
Police have asked people who were at the scene on London Bridge or in Borough Market to upload any pictures or videos they have taken to this police site.
My colleague Kate Lyons has been talking to people trying to get home with transport disrupted in the wake of the attacks:
Some underground lines have reopened and people are unusually chatty on the tube.
James Wilesmith, who moved to London from Bournemouth six months ago, was out with Sarah Phillips celebrating her birthday when they got caught up in the events. The pair had seen the Lion King in the West End earlier in the evening before deciding to go for a drink at the Walkie Talkie building, overlooking the river.
Footage posted by journalist Kaine Pieri shows police officers clearing the area around London Bridge station in the wake of the attack:
A statement from the US state department has condemned the attack:
The United States condemns the cowardly attacks targeting innocent civilians in London this evening. We understand UK police are currently treating these as terrorist incidents. The United States stands ready to provide any assistance authorities in the United Kingdom may request.
Our hearts are with the families and loved ones of the victims. We wish a full and quick recovery to those injured in the attacks. All Americans stand in solidarity with the people of the United Kingdom.
Amber Rudd, the home secretary, has called the night’s incidents “a horrific attack in the heart of our capital city”.
She added:
My thoughts are with the victims and all of those affected.
London Ambulance Service says it has taken at least 20 patients to six hospitals across London:
We can confirm we have taken at least 20 patients to six hospitals across London following the incident at London Bridge.
We have also treated a number of people at the scene for less serious injuries.
Owen Evans, 39, was in the Wheatsheaf pub on Stoney Street near Borough Market on Saturday night, with friends, when shooting broke out nearby:
I was in the back of the pub. A wave of about 30 people ran in and tried to get into the cellar or cupboard. Then there were shots outside. They didn’t seem real – like a kid letting off firecrackers. We saw police lights and everyone got down under a table. People turned tables over.
We waited about 10 minutes or so, with several shots every couple of minutes. Someone at the front of the pub had been shot – it’s speculation but we thought it was by accident, there were bullet holes in the windows.
The Metropolitan police have confirmed at least one armed officer had opened fire during the attack at Borough market.
In information posted on Twitter, they said: “Armed officers responded and shots have been fired.”
Pictures have been circulating showing a man on the ground; he appears to have canisters strapped to his body. The Guardian is not showing his face until his identity and connection to the incident has been established.
I’m a documentary maker. I was doing what I’m trained to do. It was dark, but behind him I could see three men at the other end of the street. They were about 20 metres away. It was quite confusing – it took me a few seconds to work out what was going on.
There was one policeman there, inside Borough Market. He was trying to scare them away. They ran towards me because the police officer was trying to chase them.
Suddenly lots and lots of police came from the other direction. There was a lot of shouting. ‘Stop, stop, get on the floor’, stuff like that. Then the police shot them.
I could see one of them moving still. There was blood. I could see the police were scared. The policeman in Borough Market, he was trying to make sure that no one was hurt. He was trying to get them outside. The police reaction was very quick.
The Metropolitan police have issued a statement clarifying the timeline of events:
From 22.08hrs [on] 3 June officers responded to reports of a vehicle in collision with pedestrians on London Bridge. Officers have then responded to reports of stabbings in Borough Market. Armed officers responded and shots have been fired. Officers subsequently responded to an incident in the Vauxhall area.
At 00.25hrs [on] 4 June the incidents at London Bridge and Borough Market were declared as terrorist incidents. The incident at Vauxhall is a stabbing and is not believed connected to the other two incidents.
#Londonbridge#boroughmarket#vauxhallpic.twitter.com/a7OciBEBjH
My colleague Colin Blackstock has been speaking to witnesses close to the scene:
The police cordons made it difficult for people to get where they were going and a number of people staying in hotels in the area have been unable to return to their rooms.
Elaine and Louise from Lurgan in Northern Ireland had been to the Olympic stadium in Stratford to see Depeche Mode. They were staying at the Premier Inn on Bankside but have been unable to get back to their hotel.
The Metropolitan police said: “ The incident at Vauxhall is a stabbing and is not connected to the incidents at London Bridge and Borough Market.”
Tim Farron, the Lib Dem leader, said:
Guardian journalist Kate Lyons has more on the evacuations going on in the area around London Bridge. Guests at hotels in the vicinity of the attack have been evacuated. Zaven Jordan who is visiting from Australia was staying in Novotel Southwark and was woken by a fire alarm. When guests assembled outside the hotel he said police told everyone to run.
“The police didn’t just give directions, they were yelling ‘run!’,” he said. “When a fire alarm goes off you expect to assemble and then go back inside in a few minutes. We grabbed our passports just in case, but we weren’t really ready for this.”
Sky News have reported a statement from Theresa May: “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.”
Sadiq Khan, the mayor of London, has said he is in contact with the Metropolitan police commissioner.
Guardian journalist Chris Johnston is in the area of London Bridge, and says emergency services are continuing to descend on the area. He says a fire brigade command vehicle and operational support trucks and six fire engines just crossed Borough High Street along with two ambulances.
Meanwhile, life boats are coordinating with emergency services to evacuate members of the public on the Thames:
Jeremy Corbyn, the Labour leader, said on Twitter: “Brutal and shocking incidents reported in London. My thoughts are with the victims and their families. Thank you to the emergency services.”
Guardian journalist Kate Lyons is continuing to speak to people near the scene at London Bridge:
Leon Radschinski, a bartender who was working tonight at Caravan Bankside, a restaurant near London Bridge said they stopped serving after they began hearing reports of an attack, before police ran into the restaurant ordering everyone to get out and run south.
Guardian journalists at the scene are continuing to get eye-witness testimony of how the attack unfolded.
Olivia Doyle, 23, was travelling across London Bridge in a car with three family members, arriving to the sound of sirens.
The prime minister, Theresa May, who has been campaigning in the general election, was returning to Downing Street to receive further briefings from security officials, No 10 has confirmed.
The White House press secretary, Sean Spicer, said the US president, Donald Trump, has been briefed on the incident by his national security team.
We need to be smart, vigilant and tough. We need the courts to give us back our rights. We need the Travel Ban as an extra level of safety!
Police have established cordons around the scene at London Bridge. Police are continuing to urge members of the public to reach areas of safety.
The Metropolitan police are urging people in the areas of the incident in Vauxhall, London Bridge and Borough Market to get to safer areas away from the scenes.
Guardian journalist Kate Lyons has spoken to witnesses at the scene at London Bridge, who report stabbings have taken place:
Lara Al-Ostta was having drinks with a friend at the Old Thameside Inn underneath London Bridge when she said people came running into the pub and telling everyone to run away because “people are stabbing each other”.
Reuters have posted footage from the police cordon at London Bridge.
The police say officers are also responding to an incident in Vauxhall.
Metropolitan police have confirmed reports of stabbings at Borough Market, where they say armed police have fired shots.
Journalists at the scene at London Bridge have been removed from the area by armed police.
Theresa May is aware of the incidents going on in London tonight.
A Downing Street spokesman said: “The Prime Minister is in contact with officials and is being regularly updated on the incident at London Bridge.”
There are already offers of help coming in for those around the area of the attack, with one person offering minicab rides:
Will Heaven, a Spectator journalist who was passing London Bridge minutes after the incident, has told Sky News what he saw: “It was about 10 past 10. I was in the back of an Uber cab driving south over London Bridge.
“Suddenly on the left hand side on the bridge there was somebody down on the pavement with a small crowd around them, clearly concerned. I thought someone had collapsed. We drove a little further over the bridge. There was another person in the road itself. The penny dropped that something quite serious was happening.
Footage is emerging of the public reaction to the incident on London Bridge. People in a bar were ordered to get back from doors and take cover as it unfolded.
The Metropolitan police say they are also responding to a second incident at Borough Market.
Our picture editor has sourced an image of the van thought to have struck pedestrians on London Bridge this evening.
Latika Bourke is also reporting injured people being treated on the footpath of Southwark Street.
Latika Bourke, a journalist from Fairfax Media, has posted footage of people fleeing London Bridge as emergency services continue their work:
Police are treating injured people and carrying them away at the end of Thrale Street. Members of the public were told by police to “run as fast as they could” westbound.
Nick Archer, who was in the London Bridge area, told Sky News: “We came out (of a bar) on to the road and looked and looked to my left and there as a guy, I thought he was just drinking but he was lying on the floor. And then a couple of seconds later, about three police vans flew past.
Holly Jones, a BBC reporter at the bridge when the incident happened, said a van had swerved off the road into a crowd of pedestrians.
“A white van driver came speeding – probably about 50mph – veered off the road into the crowds of people who were walking along the pavement,” she told BBC News.
A journalist working for the Spectator magazine has reported seeing armed police and injured people in the area – with social media showing a large number of emergency service vehicles at the scene.
London Bridge has been closed after an incident on Saturday night, after witnesses said a van had hit pedestrians.
There are reports of casualties, with a witness telling the BBC that van had veered off the road and struck people.
Continue reading...