Police shot a man after a series of stabbings were reported near the London Bridge on Friday, with the incident treated as “terror-related”.
With reports still coming in, videos on social media showed pedestrians overpowering the attacker and taking his knife from him. The suspect was shot dead by police after he was disarmed by civilians. Multiple people are believed to have been injured in the attacks.
"At approximately 2pm today, police were called to a stabbing at a premises near London Bridge. Emergency services attended including officers from the City of London Police and Metropolitan Police. A male suspect was shot by specialist armed officers from City of London police and I can confirm that this suspect died at the scene," Basu, Britain's senior-most counter-terrorism officer, told reporters.
"Due to reports that the suspect might have had an explosive device specialist officers attended the scene. However, I can confirm at this time we believe a device that was strapped to the body of the suspect is a hoax explosive device," he said,
Counter-terror officials have taken over the investigation as the incident is being treated as terror-related.
The area, which is in the heart of British capital, remains cordoned off with heavy police and emergency services being pressed after the incident.
In one of the clips being circulated, the man can be seen being held down by multiple people. Policemen arrive and move them away. One officer then aims his rifle at the suspect and fires, with one man running away carrying a large knife presumably recovered from the suspect. Two shots can be heard in the clip.
According to The Independent, the footage shows that the incident took place along the "north-bound carriageway on the western side, near Fishmongers' Hall".
The London Ambulance Service has declared it a major incident.
The transport on London Bridge remains at a standstill and offices and buildings in the vicinity are under lockdown as the incident continues to unfold.
UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson said, "I'm being kept updated on the incident at London Bridge and want to thank the police and all emergency services for their immediate response."
Home Secretary Priti Patel said she was "very concerned" over the incident.
"Very concerned by ongoing incident at London Bridge. My thoughts are with all affected. I am grateful for the rapid response of our police and I urge everyone to follow their advice," the Indian-origin minister tweeted.
London Bridge was one of the areas targeted by an ISIS-claimed terrorist attack in June 2017, when 11 people died as terrorists went on a stabbing spree after ramming a van into pedestrians.
The UK had earlier this month downgraded its terror threat level from "severe" to "substantial", which means a terrorist threat is likely rather than highly likely in the country.
With inputs from PTI