A man who had a hoax device strapped to his body was shot and killed in central London by police after a terrorist stabbing incident that ended with several people injured and two dead.
In a video that was filmed by eyewitnesses, a man is shown being wrestled to the ground by citizens near the London Bridge. Officers were called to the scene but have yet to release the motive behind the terrorist attack. However, Assistant Commissioner Neil Basu told a press conference on Friday afternoon that authorities are enhancing patrols in the area and across the city as a response.
One of the witnesses, Lloyd Griffiths, says he was on a bus on the London Bridge when the incident took place. Griffiths says several people tackled the suspect to the ground before police arrived. “I saw a shine on a knife or metal blade, it was startling. It was a large blade, it wasn’t small, and then I was locked on the bus, people tried to tackle to man trying to fight him, ordinary people jumping out of the car, trying to fight him,” Griffiths told CNN. “Then police ran over with guns, screaming,” before shooting the man, Griffiths added.
Energy vehicles and paramedics swarmed the scene and rushed those who were injured to the hospital. According to CNN, Police were called to the incident at a location near London Bridge just before 2 p.m. local time, because the struggle reportedly traveled onto the actual bridge.
London mayor Sadiq Khan praised the “breathtaking heroism” of “ordinary Londoners” who risked their lives to intervene in the incident. “We are resolute, we stand united in the face of terrorism and we will not allow anybody to divide us,” Khan said in a press conference. British Prime Minister Boris Johnson added that anyone involved in the attack “will be hunted down and will be brought to justice.” He added that “to the best of our knowledge the incident has been contained.”
