Earlier today, a terrorist described as being “of Middle Eastern origin, in his early 30s,” murdered two people and wounded others with knives at Fishmongers’ Hall, adjacent to London Bridge. Initial reports are confused as usual; there was also a lorry that jackknifed across the bridge and seems to have had some relation to the attack, but this is not clear.
It is good to see that the terrorist was chased out of the hall and onto the bridge by civilians:
Video footage showed passers-by dressed in suits tackling a man who appeared to be carrying two large knives close to Fishmongers’ Hall.
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[Gary Lawrence] said that the knifeman came out of a building that “looks like a museum“ and started running up the road, chased by a group of men.“About three or four guys came out of that building,” said Mr Lawrence. “One had a stick. One had a fire extinguisher. He was brandishing it at first, then spraying it [at suspect]. The guy with the stick was poking him.”
“They approached the knifeman at the north end of the bridge and he stood swiping his knives — one in each hand — around him.
“The men who gave chase successfully tackled the knifeman to the ground.”
Police arrived immediately thereafter, and apparently took no chances:
A video filmed from a nearby bus showed the apparent suspect being shot as he lay on the ground. Another man in a suit and jacket could be seen running from him, having retrieved a large knife.
After at least two shots were heard, passengers could be heard screaming, with one shouting: “What the f***, they’ve killed him.”
The terrorist wore an apparent suicide belt that turned out to be fake, which may account for the police not trying to place him under arrest.
I had planned to be in London today, but canceled my vacation due to work demands. Otherwise, I might have been able to report from the scene.
Courtesy of London Times
UPDATE: The terrorist has been identified as Usman Khan, 28. Khan was a known terrorist, having been convicted in 2012 of participation in a plot to bomb the London Stock Exchange and the U.S. Embassy, and assassinate Boris Johnson. He was released prematurely from prison last year. While in prison, he wrote a letter asking to be put into a “course” so that he could “properly learn Islam and its teachings.”
More info on the civilians who chased Khan and cornered him on the bridge. They wrestled Khan to the ground, whereupon he was shot by police. One of the civilians carried a fire extinguisher, with which he sprayed Khan. The other was equipped with what was described as a stick in initial reports. It turned out to be a narwhal tusk that he grabbed off the wall of the Fishmongers’ Hall. Something that has never happened before, and most likely will never happen again–a terrorist attacked with a narwhal tusk.
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