2017 London Attack

Editor's Note: This entry is currently being researched and updated in real-time.

Overview

2017 London Attack was a terrorist attack carried out by three individuals in central London on the evening of June 3rd, 2017. It began with a deadly vehicle rampage of a white van driving over the pedestrian walkway across London Bridge, followed by stabbing of several innocent diners at restaurants in Borough Market. As a result of the attack, a total of 7 people were killed and 48 others suffered injuries of varying degrees. ISIS has claimed responsibility for the attacks.

Background

On June 3rd, 2017, at around 9:58 p.m. (local time), a white van traveling southbound across London Bridge suddenly derailed from the pavement and mounted onto the walkway, ramming several unsuspecting pedestrians along its path. After reaching the south end of the bridge, three suspects clad in fake suicide vests exited the vehicle ran into Borough Market, one of the largest and oldest food markets in the city, where they began stabbing random diners at restaurants with knives, until all three were shot dead by the Metropolitan Police at 10:15 p.m.

2017 Terror Attacks in the UK

Leading up to the June attack in central London, the United Kingdom had suffered at least two major terrorist attacks motivated by Islamist extremism, beginning in March with the deadly vehicular attack in Westminster, London, and followed by a suicide bombing attack in late May at the Manchester Arena; the terrorist attacks claimed the lives of at least 28 people, including the perpetrators, and injured several dozens of people.

Developments

During the course of the attack on London Bridge and Borough Market, which lasted for approximately 15 minutes, utter chaos ensued in a number of restaurants in the area. According to several eyewitnesses, several pub-goers attempted to defend themselves by throwing glass bottles, chairs and other objects at the attackers, one of whom reportedly shouted "This is for Allah." Meanwhile Florin Morariu, a Romanian chef working in the area, managed to shelter 20 people inside a nearby bakery after striking one of the suspects in the head with a crate.

Emergency Response

Eight minutes after the first emergency call was made, armed police officers arrived at the scene and took down all three suspects outside the Wheatsheaf Pub, after firing an "unprecedented" number of rounds, a total of 50 gunshots. In the wake of the tragedy, the Metropolitan Police set up a cordon around the site of the attack and all buildings within the vicinity of London Bridge were evacuated.

Online Reaction

As the UK authorities took control of the scene and the nearby buildings, many evacuees began sharing photographs and videos of the chaotic moments near the site of the attacks, including several videos of the Metropolitan police officers securing the site of the attacks.

Media Coverage

Within the hour of the attack, virtually all national news outlets in the United Kingdom began providing live coverage on the developing story in central London, including The Guardian, BBC, Sky News and Independent, among many others. Meanwhile, many news outlets in the United States also began reporting on the latest terrorist attack in the heart of the UK capital.

New York Times Headline

In the eleventh hour of June 3rd, the New York Times^[14] published an article about the attacks under the headline "Terrorist attacks in the heart of London leave 6 dead in a nation still reeling," which prompted angry reactions from Londoners due to the ambiguous implications of the word "reeling." On Twitter, many UK-based users protested the Times' headline for underrating the resilience of the British people in times of crisis.

Official Response

The next morning, the UK authorities conducted a series of raids in the residential area in Barking, East London, where one of the attackers had been living, leading to the arrests of at least a dozen individuals in connection to the attack. Meanwhile, Mayor of London Sadiq Khan condemened the terrorist attack in media appearances, assuring the public that "London is one of the safest global cities in the world, if not the safest," while urging citizens to remain calm in the sight of increasing police presence on patrol duty.

“Londoners will see an increased police presence today and over the course of the next few days."

"No reason to be alarmed. One of the things the police, all of us, need to do is make sure we’re as safe as we possibly can be."

Trump's Response

On the morning of June 4th, President Trump mocked Mayor Khan's remark in a tweet, which appeared to misconstrue his message to the public out of context. Trump's scornful tweet was met with widespread criticism on the social media platform, including many journalists, celebrities and public figures in the United Kingdom and United States.

In response, the Office of Mayor dismissed President Trump's criticism by stating that "[Mayor Khan] has more important things to do than respond to Donald Trump’s ill-informed tweet that deliberately takes out of context his remarks urging Londoners not to be alarmed when they saw more police -- including armed officers -- on the streets."

ISIS Response

On June 4th, the Islamic State's official Amaq News Agency posted a message via Telegram claiming responsibility for the deadly vehicle and stabbing spree the night before. Throughout the day, supporters and sympathizers of ISIS openly celebrated the deadly terror attack on the social media; according to the SITE Intelligence Group, one user on Twitter claimed that the latest carnage was part of a revenge on a photograph of a Royal Air Force (RAF) missile, taken shortly before its deployment during RAF's retaliatory air strike against ISIS in response to the Manchester bombing, which quickly went viral on Twitter UK.

Search Interest

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