London Bridge and Borough Market terror attack - everything we know
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Two sites in London - London Bridge and Borough Market - are the scene of a terrorist attack on Saturday night
4 JUNE 2017 • 1:52AM
At least two people have been killed and others stabbed, police have said, following a confirmed terrorist attack at two sites in London - London Bridge and Borough Market.
Two separate eyewitnesses - one named Eric, another named Gerard - told the BBC that they saw men stabbing people on London Bridge and in Borough Market, and heard them shouting: "This is for Allah".
Police responded to a third incident in Vauxhall - where a man was arrested - but they later said that it is not connected.
Photos on social media, broadcast by the BBC, showed a man on the ground wearing what looked like canisters strapped to his abdomen.
The SAS has been deployed to central London.
A huge police presence is in the area, on the banks of the Thames.
How did it start?
At 10.08pm police responded to a call about a white van ramming into five or six people on London Bridge.
Paramedics were on the scene six minutes later, the London Ambulance Service said.
Eyewitnesses spoke of there being two or three masked men, who got out of the van and started attacking people with knives. An eyewitness, Eric, told the BBC that he heard shouts of "this is for Allah".
A second incident is believed to have taken place in Borough Market.
Eyewitnesses have told of seeing people being stabbed by someone wearing a red hoody. The attacker then walked calmly away, and gunshots were heard near the Brindisi tapas restaurant.e
Photos on social media showed a man in front of the Wheatsheaf pub in Borough Market, lying on the ground with what appeared to be canisters strapped to his abdomen.
The BBC reported that a security guard who works across multiple bars and pubs in Borough Market claims to have seen a man with a canister strapped to his abdomen. The security guard saw the attackers, after receiving a call from a colleague in another bar who said people had been stabbed.
The security guard described people running away screaming from three men, one wearing a red and black top. He claimed one man had a canister taped to his abdomen. The man and his colleagues tried to throw chairs at the three attackers, who were going in and out of different bars, before helping to evacuate the area.
An eyewitnesses said she saw police and two robots - she speculated that the robots could be there to disarm the canisters.
Drinkers inside various pubs and restaurants - Borough Market is home to dozens of eating and drinking establishments - have told of the police rushing in, and telling everyone to get on the ground. They were then told to run away from the area.
What do we know about the perpetrators?
Police are hunting for three men, Reuters reports.
One man has been arrested in Vauxhall, but the Vauxhall incident is not related.
Photos show one man on the ground in front of the Wheatsheaf pub, with what look like canisters strapped to his abdomen.
What do we know about victims?
Police say at least two people have been killed.
There are also reports of people being stabbed.
Walking wounded are being treated at the Andaz Hotel, near Liverpool Street.
The London Ambulance Service have confirmed that multiple crews are at both sites - London Bridge, and Borough Market.
What are Londoners being told?
The advice is to keep calm, but make your way home.
People should avoid the London Bridge and Borough Market area.
Trains are not stopping at nearby stations.
Vauxhall tube station has reopened.
The RNLI is using boats to help people get out of the area.
Where is the prime minister?
Theresa May will chair a Cobra meeting about tonight's incidents first thing on Sunday morning.
She said: "Following updates from police and security officials, I can confirm that the terrible incident in London is being treated as a potential act of terrorism.
"This is a fast moving investigation. I want to express my huge gratitude to the police and emergency services who are on the scene. Our thoughts are with those who are caught up in these dreadful events."
It is understood that the Prime Minister was in her Maidenhead constituency when she was alerted to the news.
So-called Cobra meetings are named after Cabinet Office Briefing Room A, where crisis response meetings are held. They usually include the Prime Minister and senior cabinet ministers as well as intelligence and security officials.
Mrs May held two Cobra meetings in one day less than two weeks ago on the day of the Manchester bombing.
Did the police have any warning?
The BBC security correspondent, Frank Gardner, is reporting that the police were not aware of any specific threat.
He says that the attack is being handled by the police, rather than the intelligence services, which means that there was no real warning.
