Press. voanews.com
Stories
of heroism are being shared in the wake of eight minutes of terror that struck
the Borough Market district of London late Saturday. Seven people died in a
stabbing rampage carried out by three men, who also drove a van at Saturday
night revelers. Several of the nearly 50 people wounded in the attack remain in
a critical condition, police officials say.
But police
say there could have been more casualties if staff and customers in pubs and
restaurants had not reacted promptly, and others hadn’t intervened to slow the
attackers. A speedy response by armed police — the three attackers were shot
dead within eight minutes of the alarm being raised — also reduced the number
of casualties.
One of
the attackers, described by witnesses as a clean-shaven man between 25 and 30
years old, stabbed about half-a-dozen people in the Globe pub before he was
shot dead by police. Lewis Bennett told the Guardian newspaper:"People
started screaming and running out the back door. He was shouting ‘Allah Akbar,
Allah Akbar’ and he had a British accent." Bennett said the assailant
lunged at police as they entered via a backdoor. One policeman “knelt on the
floor and fired two shots at the attacker, taking him out instantly.”
Unarmed
police contained assailantsBefore armed officers arrived, unarmed police did
their best to confront the attackers. According to the Ken Marsh, chairman of
the London police association, three officers from the Metropolitan Police were
injured as well as an officer from another police force.There were reports that
one of the officers, a rugby-player, grappled with an assailant.
One of
the first to intervene as the assailants, armed with long hunting knives, went
on their frenzy after crashing their van near London Bridge underground station
was a transport policeman who reacted to screams and rushed to confront the
attackers. He was stabbed several times, suffering “serious but not
life-threatening injuries,” according to police.
As the
attack unfolded, shock and confusion gave way to panic, but staff at several
restaurants reacted quickly, locking doors and shepherding customers to cellars
or kitchens. A taxi driver, who picked up two people fleeing the Black &
Blue restaurant in Borough Market, told Sky News they thought their actions had
saved lives. “They described to me how they prevented the guys from getting
into the restaurant,” the taxi driver said.
He added:
“They tried to break in. She managed to hold the door for a few seconds, but
then I think they were overpowered. They managed to escape from a rear door,
possibly saving a good 20 people’s lives, as they mentioned whilst I took them
home.” At the pub, as staff and customers retreated, some hurled bottles and
cutlery at the attackers.
Likewise,
at the Sheaf pub, where the bouncers reacted quickly as fearful people ran in
seeking sanctuary.
“We
didn’t really know what was going on,” said Will Orton, 25. “The bouncers did a
really good job, they shut the doors and locked everyone in.”
Defending
the wounded
Elsewhere
in the area, home to many restaurants and pubs that draw large crowds of mainly
young people on the weekends, some bystanders sought to defend those being
attacked. One man, who gave his name as Gerard, told the BBC he saw the
attackers stab one woman a dozen times and heard another wounded man covered in
blood pleading for help. He gave chase as the assailants moved on, shouting at
people to run, warning them, “They’re terrorists, they’re stabbing everyone!”
At the
Southwark Tavern, he saw the men stab a bouncer. With no weapons of his own, he
resorted to “throwing bottles at them, pint glasses, stools.” Customers joined
in, throwing chairs, glasses and other large objects to keep the attackers from
entering. Earlier, Holly Jones told reporters she saw a man driving a white van
veer onto the pavement at speed.
“He
swerved right round me and then hit five or six people,” she said. “He hit
about two people in front of me and then three behind and then swerved back
into the road. He did this three times before he drove off. It was a blur. I’m
in total shock.” Two of the injured had badly mangled legs.
Gratitude
for police response
Many of
those caught up in violence spoke of their relief at the quick arrival of armed
police.
“It was
one of those adrenaline-pumping moments,” said one young man named Will. “It
was nerve-wracking for me and the wife. For me the priority was too get out of
this safely. I am really impressed how quickly the police and emergency
services got here. All credit to them.”
Metropolitan
Police Assistant Commissioner Mark Rowley said: “Armed officers responded very
quickly and bravely, confronting three male suspects who were shot and killed
in Borough Market. The suspects were wearing what looked like explosive vests
but these were later established to be hoaxes.”
A
counterterrorism official told VOA the fact the men wore such vests meant
they’d decided this was a suicide mission. “They would have known we would
shoot them on sight with those vests on,” he said. London Mayor Sadiq Khan said
he was “appalled and furious” at attack. He praised the police.
“We have
the best police and security services in the world. They plan, prepare and
rehearse for these sorts of incidents and we saw their swift response last
night. We saw the speed with which they shot the terrorists and how they helped
the injured as well,” Khan said.