Less than two weeks after a suicide bomber killed 22 people at a pop concert by U.S. singer Ariana Grande in Manchester in northern England, assailants drove a van into pedestrians at high speed on London Bridge on Saturday night before stabbing revelers on nearby streets, killing at least six people..
Armed police rushed to the scene and within eight minutes of receiving the first emergency call had shot dead the three male attackers in the Borough Market area near the bridge.
The attacks came just five days ahead of a parliamentary election on Thursday.
The ruling Conservative Party, opposition Labour Party and the Scottish National Party all suspended national campaigning on Sunday.
Prime Minister Theresa May said in a statement;
“I can confirm that the terrible incident in London is being treated as a potential act of terrorism,”
Flags were flying at half-mast over her Downing Street residence on Sunday morning.
The area around London Bridge and Borough Market remained cordoned off, while mainline and underground train stations were closed with no trains stopping.
Forensic investigators could be seen working on London Bridge, where buses and taxis stood abandoned.