Published 13:42 IST, November 30th 2019
London Bridge attack: Police rolled over suspect to find ‘bomb vest’
Police rushed to the spot after they received a call at 1.58 pm about stabbing at premises near the London Bridge on November 29 which claimed two lives.
- World News
- 3 min read
The terrorist, who attacked people attending an event on November 29 at the headquarters of the Worshipful Company of Fishmongers in London, was wearing a hoax suicide vest. The tragic incident took place when some people were attending the five-year anniversary of a Cambridge University criminal justice initiative called Learning Together.
A man entered the hall brandishing two knives and around 100 people were caught up in the chaos. Many staff members got stabbed by the terrorist, identified as Usman Khan, and led to the death of two people. The attacker then went outside the building but was tackled by a group of men in an attempt to disarm him. They held the attacker and tried to get the knife away from him by kicking him and hitting his hand with a fire extinguisher. One of them successfully snatched the knife from the attacker and moved away from the scene.
Witnesses heard gunshot
Police rushed to the spot after they received a call at 1:58pm about stabbing at premises near the London Bridge. Within minutes, armed officers arrived at the scene and jumped the security barrier asking everyone to stand clear. Witnesses heard a gunshot when the police rolled the suspect over off his chest. The officers actually found the suspect wearing a suicide vest which forced them to move back and shoot him from a distance.
The investigation is underway but the police, in a statement, said that they are not seeking anyone else in relation to the attack. The 28-year-old suspect, convicted in 2012 for terrorism offences, died at the scene.
"This individual was known to authorities, having been convicted in 2012 for terrorism offences. He was released from prison in December 2018 on licence and clearly, a key line of enquiry now is to establish how he came to carry out this attack,” said Assistant Commissioner Neil Basu in a statement.
Two people were killed in the terror attack while three got injured and remain in the hospital for treatment. "Extensive cordons are likely to remain in place for some time and I would ask the public to continue to avoid the area,” said Basu.
Updated 13:54 IST, November 30th 2019
