6 killed, 3 suspects shot dead in terrorist attacks at London Bridge, Borough Market: Police

Police officers and members of the emergency services attend to a person injured in an apparent terror attack on London Bridge in central London on Jun 3, 2017. (Photo: AFP/Daniel Sorabji)

The three assailants were shot dead by police after stabbing several people in the Borough Market area of London.

"The suspects were wearing what looked like explosive vests but these were later established to be hoaxes," Britain's head of counter-terrorism Mark Rowley said.

Armed police opened fire during the attack on Saturday night after reports of stabbings and a van ploughing into pedestrians just days ahead of a general election.

Police said there were at least two "terrorist incidents" at London Bridge and Borough Market, in the heart of the capital's business district, resulting in "multiple" casualties.

London's ambulance service said it had taken at least 20 people to hospital and treated others on the scene.

"We have taken at least 20 patients to six hospitals across London following the incident at London Bridge," the London Ambulance Service's assistant director of operations, Peter Rhodes, said in a statement.

"We have also treated a number of people at the scene for less serious injuries," he added.

Police said earlier that they responded to reports of a vehicle in collision with pedestrians on London Bridge from 2208 hours (2108 GMT).

"Officers have then responded to reports of stabbings in Borough Market," at the south end of the bridge. "Armed officers responded and shots have been fired," police said.

A third incident, in nearby Vauxhall area proved to be unrelated.

Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan condemned the attacks as "barbaric".

"This was a deliberate and cowardly attack on innocent Londoners and visitors to our city enjoying their Saturday night," he said, adding: "There is no justification whatsoever for such barbaric acts".

One of the men suspected of being behind the attack was shown in a photograph lying on the ground with canisters strapped to his body after he was shot by the police, the BBC said.

The possible attacker was shown on the ground outside the Wheatsheaf pub in Borough Market near London Bridge. Another man was seen lying on the ground a short distance away in the photograph.

Prime Minister Theresa May said she could "confirm that the terrible incident in London is being treated as a potential act of terrorism."

"Following updates from police and security officials, I can confirm that the terrible incident in London is being treated as a potential act of terrorism," May said in a statement.

"This is a fast moving investigation," May said. "I want to express my huge gratitude to the police and emergency services who are on the scene. Our thoughts are with those who are caught up in these dreadful events."

She will hold an emergency ministerial meeting later on Sunday and Facebook has activated its safety check function for people in London to let their loved ones know they are safe.

London mayor Sadiq Khan denounced the attack as "deliberate and cowardly ", and said that he would take part in a security meeting with May later on Sunday.

"We don't yet know the full details, but this was a deliberate and cowardly attack on innocent Londoners and visitors," Khan said. "I condemn it in the strongest possible terms. There is no justification whatsoever for such barbaric acts," he added.

It was not immediately clear how many victims the attack claimed.

British police said more than one person had been killed at London Bridge the BBC said, citing police at the scene. Britain's Sun newspaper said up to seven people were feared dead.

Witnesses on London Bridge reported seeing a van mounting the pavement and hitting pedestrians and a man with a knife running.

"There was a van that crashed into the fences on London Bridge. And then there was a man with a knife, he was running. He came down the stairs and went to the bar," Dee, 26, who was visibly in shock and declined to give her last name, told AFP.

Gerard Kavanar, 46, said he had seen a chef with "blood on his shoulder" in the area.

The London Ambulance Service said "multiple resources" were being sent to the scene. AFP reporters saw two police helicopters over the area and several roads were shut down.

The police were urging the public to run to a place of safety, or hide if they cannot.

'WOUNDED PEOPLE'

Will Heaven, managing editor of The Spectator magazine, said on Twitter that he saw "two casualties - one on pavement, one edge of road" and reported seeing armed police on the bridge.

BBC reporter Holly Jones, who was there at the time of the incident, said she saw a van driven by a man travelling "at about 50 miles (80 kilometres) an hour".

She said about five people were being treated for injuries after the vehicle mounted the pavement and hit them.

"There's several police boats with torchlights searching the Thames at the moment," she told BBC radio. She added that she saw a man, who had his shirt off and was in handcuffs, being arrested by police.

Another witness, Alessandro, told BBC radio that he saw a van strike several people on London Bridge.

"I saw this van going left and right, left and right, trying to catch as many people as he could. And people just tried to get out of the way of the van. Then I tried to help people, wounded people."

Of the casualties, he said: "Three of them, yes (were conscious), and one guy was not talking at all, was just, like, down. There were five or six people that we tried to help, they were young people."

His friend Giovanni said he contacted police and the ambulance services, which arrived within around two minutes.

Simon Johnson, who had been near London Bridge, told Sky News he had hid in the basement of a restaurant in the area for about an hour. "Still in a state of shock to be honest," Johnson said.

STABBINGS ON THE STREET

One woman told Reuters she saw what appeared to be three people with knife wounds and possibly their throats cut at London Bridge at the Thames river. Reuters was unable to immediately verify her account.

"A van came from London Bridge itself, went between the traffic light system and rammed it towards the steps," a taxi driver told the BBC. "It knocked loads of people down.

"Then three men got out with long blades, 12 inches long and went randomly along Borough High Street stabbing people at random."

Several witnesses also reported hearing gunshots.

Husband and wife Ben and Natalie told BBC Radio 5 Live they were outside Borough Market when they witnessed the incident there.

Ben said: "We saw people running away and then I saw a man in red with a large blade, at a guess 10 inches long, stabbing a man, about three times.

"It looked like the man had been trying to intervene, but there wasn't much he could do. He was being stabbed quite coldly and he slumped to the ground."

Ben said the man then walked towards the Southwark Tavern. He said they saw a metal chair being thrown towards the man. "Then we heard three gunshots, definitely gunshots, and we ran."

The incident comes days ahead of a Jun 8 election, with polls suggesting the lead of Prime Minister Theresa May's Conservative Party has dropped sharply.

It is also reminiscent of the Mar 22 Westminster Bridge terror attack in the city in which five people were killed and more than 50 wounded.

The assailant in that attack, 52-year-old Khalid Mahmood, rammed his car into pedestrians before crashing into the barriers surrounding parliament and then stabbing a police officer to death.

He was then shot dead by police at the scene. Investigators later described the lone-wolf attack as "Islamist related terrorism".

It also comes less than two weeks after 22 people, including seven children, were killed in a suicide bombing at the end of a pop concert at the Manchester Arena.

Manchester-born Salman Abedi, a 22-year-old of Libyan origin, was named as the Manchester bomber.