London attacked
2 incidents seen as possible terrorism.
LONDON — Another night of terrorism unfolded in Britain on Saturday with two attacks that killed six civilians in the center of the capital, London police said.
At least one of the dead was killed when a van careered onto the side walk along London Bridge, mowing down pedestrians.
The police said three attackers were killed, which they believed to be the total number of assailants.
Witnesses reported that at least one man jumped out of the van wielding a large knife and ran into the nearby Borough Market, a popular spot for pubs and restaurants on the southern side of the Thames.
Heavily armed police responded to the bridge attack, which took place shortly after 10 p.m., and more officers rushed to investigate reports of stabbings at the market. Police fired shots there, where three suspects were described as wearing canisters around their chests. There were reports that at least one of them had been killed.
Although no one claimed responsibility for the attacks, they hit a nation still reeling from the shock of the bombing in Manchester almost two weeks ago when a suicide bomber blew himself up outside the doors of an Ariana Grande concert. Twenty-two people were killed, including many children.
And now, as Britain prepares for national elections in less than a week, it must cope with more attacks in the most ordinary of places, London Bridge on a Saturday night, as people walked about enjoying the spring weather.
Supporters of the Islamic State had urged attacks on Western societies with vehicles, guns and knives during Ramadan, which began last weekend.
The office of Theresa May, the British prime minister, announced that she would chair a meeting of the government emergency response committee, known as Cobra, on Sunday.
Horror and chaos
The mood in London was shock and anger, with the center of the city saturated with the sound of sirens. People were told to hide and put their cellphones on silent as police searched for assailants.
The London Ambulance Service said it had taken at least 30 injured to six hospitals. A doctor at University Hospital London said at least three patients were in intensive care.
Witnesses described horrible scenes.
Holly Jones, a BBC reporter who was on the bridge at the time, said the van was driven by a man and was “probably traveling at about 50 miles an hour.”
“He swerved right round me and then hit about five or six people,” Jones said. “He hit about two people in front of me and then three behind.”
A witness, who identified himself only as Andrew, said he was in the area at a bar, heard “a massive bang” and saw a van hitting the rail of the road.
“Next 10 seconds later, there was a guy with a big knife, I mean, a big knife,” he told LBC Radio.
He said he jumped over a fence, got to a footpath and saw “a dead guy lying on the floor.” Andrew hid for a few seconds in bushes nearby, then, he said, “I ran for my life.”
A man named Gerard told the BBC that he had seen men stabbing everyone they could and shouting “this is for Allah.”
He saw three men with knives, “and they stabbed a girl,” he said. “So I follow them, toward Borough Market. They were running into the pubs and bars and stabbing everyone. They were running up, saying this is for Allah, and they run up and stabbed this girl, 10, maybe 15 times.”
Trump responds
The mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, called the incidents a“deliberate and coward ly attack on innocent Londoners ,” and they were also condemned by the leader of the main opposition party, Jeremy Corbyn.
A White House spokesman said that President Donald Trump had been briefed by his national security aides on the unfolding events in London.
Trump spoke with May, offering his condolences and praising the response of the police, the White House said. He offered the full support of the U.S. government in investigating the attacks.
He also took to Twitter to argue in favor of his controversial travel ban .“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!”
Trump began tweeting about the incidents an hour or so after initial news reports. First, he retweeted a Drudge Report item about the attacks, then provided his own message about the travel ban.
A few minutes later, Trump tweeted a message of support for Londoners: “Whatever the United States can do to help out in London and the U. K ., we will be there-WE ARE WITH YOU. GOD BLESS!”