8 Things We Know So Far About The London Terror Attack

Last night at around 10pm, at least seven innocent people were killed and more than 48 injured in a terrorist attack in central London. A van hit pedestrians on London Bridge before three men jumped out of the vehicle and stabbed people in a nearby restaurant. In what police are describing as a terrorist incident, it was an attack target at innocent people going out on a Saturday evening in one of London’s most famous nightlife spots.

It was the third terrorist attack in the UK in as many months, following the Westminster attack on 22 March when a man drove a van into pedestrians on Westminster Bridge before opening fire and killing five people, and last Monday’s (22 May) suicide bombing at Manchester’s MEN Arena, where 22 people were killed and 116 injured at an Ariana Grande concert.

Here’s everything we know so far about last night’s attack at London Bridge.

A white van struck pedestrians on London Bridge and continued to drive to Borough Market – one of London’s busy night spots – at around 10pm last night

After the vehicle hit pedestrians, it did a U-turn on the bridge before suspects got out of the vehicle and began stabbing people nearby.

At least seven people were killed and more than 48 injured

Among those killed was a British Transport Police officer who was on duty during the incident. Those injured have been taken to six different hospitals around London. Witnesses said the attackers headed into a number of restaurants and pubs around the busy Borough Market area — at one restaurant, people used bottles and chairs to fend off an attacker.

Three male suspects were shot dead by police at the scene

Armed officers responded quickly, shooting and killing all three men in Borough Market about eight minutes after the attack began.

The suspects were wearing what looked like explosive vests, but they were fake

On Sunday morning, Asst Police Commissioner Mark Rowley confirmed that the bomb vests were fake, after photos circulated on social media showing a man lying down on the street with canisters tied around his waist.

An incident in Vauxhall which took place at a similar time was unrelated

There were early reports last night of an incident in Vauxhall circulating on social media. Authorities did respond to a stabbing in Vauxhall last night, but this was not connected to the events around London Bridge.

An emergency Cobra meeting was held on Sunday morning, followed by a statement by PM Theresa May

This morning (Sunday 4 June), Theresa May chaired a meeting of Cobra, the government’s emergency committee. She then made a statement outside number 10, saying “there is far too much tolerance of extremism in our country.” She proposed to redouble international efforts to control extremism on the internet, review counter-terrorism laws and suggested longer prison sentences for some offences.

Campaigning for the general election has been suspended for the day

All parties – excepting UKIP – have suspended their national campaigning for the upcoming election on Thursday 8 June. UKIP leader Paul Nuttall tweeted: “I am refusing to suspend the UKIP campaign because disrupting our democracy is what the extremists want.” Lib Dem leader Tim Farron said national campaigning will only be suspended for a short time, but “local campaigning can and must continue”.

Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn had a similar message: “We won’t be campaigning nationally during today, but we will resume later on because I think it’s important to give a message that democracy must prevail. If we allow these attacks to disrupt our democratic process, then we all lose.”

PM and Conservatives leader Theresa May said national campaigning will continue tomorrow, with the election going ahead as planned on Thursday. “We will come together, and united, we we will take on our enemies”, she said in a statement outside 10 Downing Street on Sunday morning.

The benefit concert for last week’s Manchester attack victims will still go ahead

Ariana Grande, whose Manchester concert was targeted by a suicide bomber last week, led tributes to those affected by the London Bridge attack last night.

The OneLove benefit concert due to take place at the Old Trafford cricket ground in Manchester tonight, will still go ahead, raising money for the victims of the attack at the MEN Arena on 22 May.

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Follow Tara on Twitter @taralepore

This article originally appeared on The Debrief.