UK police has confirmed that it shot dead a suspected attacker who was wearing a hoax suicide vest following a stabbing incident in the London Bridge area of the British capital on Friday.
UPDATE: London Bridge stabbing a terrorist attack, suspect shot dead at scene – counter-terror chief
Numerous police and ambulance vehicles rushed to the scene on the busy thoroughfare at around 2pm. Footage circulating on social media appears to show members of the public restraining an attacker before the man is then shot by police officers.
Photographs posted on Twitter showed a truck parked across several lanes of traffic on the bridge. Counter terrorism police are involved in the investigation. Sky News is reporting that at least five people are believed to have been stabbed in the area.
"Officers from the met counterterrorism command and now leading this investigation, but I must stress we retain an open mind as to any motive. It would be inappropriate to speculate further at this time," The Metropolitan Police's Assistant Commissioner Neil Basu said.
Footage circulating on social media shows two men grappling on the ground before one of the men is dragged away by police officers. It appears that the second man is then shot by the officers.
WATCH moment London Bridge stabbing suspect shot by police
London Bridge train station was shut down due to the incident and the nearby Borough Market and numerous other buildings in the vicinity were also being evacuated.
WATCH: People flee in panic amid London Bridge terrorist attack
UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson said he is kept updated on the incident and thanked the police and all emergency services for their “immediate response."
The bridge was previously the scene of a ramming and stabbing terrorist attack in June 2017 which left 11 people dead.
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