Two members of the public are reportedly dead after a knife attack near London Bridge, in what police called a terrorist incident. The attacker was shot dead by police at the scene.
The attacker stabbed “a number of people” in the vicinity of London Bridge on Friday afternoon, London’s Metropolitan Police reported. Citing anonymous sources, the BBC later added that two of those stabbed had died.
The attacker was subdued at the scene by members of the public and was shot dead by police after a struggle. Britain’s top counter-terrorism officer, Neil Basu, told reporters that the incident was being treated as a terrorist attack and that the suspect was wearing a hoax explosive vest.
Basu added that police patrols in the city would increase in response, and that the busy thoroughfare would remain cordoned off for some time, to ensure “no further danger to the public.”
The attack caused widespread panic in an area of London that was the scene of a vehicle ramming and stabbing attack two years ago. 11 people were killed there in July 2017, by a group of militants linked to Islamic State.
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