A man carrying a dummy explosive device killed two people in London Bridge on Friday and was shot dead by police in a "terrorist" attack that disrupted the election campaign in less than two weeks. the legislative elections of December 12th.
Three people were also wounded in the attack on the bridge in the center of the British capital where an attack had already occurred in 2017, said the head of Scotland Yard, Cressida Dick, in front of the press.
"We are also working tirelessly to understand what happened and if other people are involved," she added, adding that the police presence in the streets would be strengthened in the coming days.
A few hours later, three people were injured in a knife attack in one of the most commercial streets in The Hague, according to the Dutch police.
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has convened a meeting of the government's crisis committee ("Cobra"), to be held at 9:30 pm (local and GMT), according to his spokesman.
Following the attack, a few days before a summit of NATO bringing together in London Tuesday and Wednesday many heads of state, the Conservative and Labor parties have suspended their campaign for Friday night.
- Heroes" -
Police said they were called at 13:58 (local and GMT) for a knife attack near London Bridge, a bridge and a major station in the center of the British capital. The area, where there are many offices and places of exit, had been evacuated, and will remain buckled "a certain time", according to the police.The suspect was "shot and wounded" by the police and "dead on the spot," said anti-terrorist police chief Neil Basu, calling the attack "terrorist."
Several passers-by have been hailed as "heroes" by police and politicians for rushing and fighting with the attacker, according to videos recorded by witnesses and broadcast on social networks.
"We did all we could to try to pull his knife so that it does not hurt anyone else," BBC Stevie Hurst, a tour guide from among those who spoke, told BBC.One man in particular was greeted on social networks. In several matching videos circulating on Twitter, he is seen coming out of the fray with a knife in his hand, shouting at other witnesses to back down. "This man deserves a medal", suggest several people.A man working in offices opposite the bridge told AFP that he had "seen a man fall to the ground, with a knife next to him" after "several shots".
- International support -
The UK "will never be (...) divided or intimidated by this type of attack," warned Boris Johnson on British television, assuring that "anyone involved in this crime and these attacks would be tracked down and presented to Justice".The attack is now "contained", but the public must remain "vigilant", continued the conservative leader, who received support from abroad."The United States strongly condemns all horrible violence against innocent people and we wholeheartedly support our ally, the United Kingdom," said a White House spokesman.
"Very saddened", the new President of the European Council, Charles Michel, said that "the fight against terrorism is a common battle".