Summary
This blog is wrapping up for today. Here is a summary of the most significant developments
- The number of people killed in Saturday’s attack has increased to eight after police searching for missing Frenchman Xavier Thomas recovered a body from the Thames at Limehouse. The French president, Emmanuel Macron, confirmed that three French citizens were killed in the attack. He did not confirm their names.
- Ignacio Echeverría, who is believed to have used his skateboard to protect a woman during the attack has been confirmed as among the dead. Both his family and the government released statements confirming his death. The Spanish interior minister, Juan Ignacio Zoido said “Echeverría’s heroism should be our guide”.
- Six other victims have been named as: Australian women Sara Zelenak and Kirsty Boden, Canadian Christine Archibald, Briton James McMullan, and two Frenchmen Alexandre Pigeard and Sébastien Bélanger. Zelenak became the second person to be officially named by police as among the dead.
- Three more of the casualties from Saturday night have now left hospital, and five are no longer in critical care, the NHS said in its latest update.Twenty-nine of the injured are still being treated in five different London hospitals, down from 32 yesterday and 10 are still receiving critical care, five fewer than the 15 in that category yesterday.
- Police investigating Saturday’s attack have arrested a man in Ilford on suspicion of terror offences. He is the 14th person to be arrested. Twelve people arrested earlier in the week have been released.
- Charisse O’Leary, the ex-wife of one of the London Bridge attackers, Rachid Redouane, has said she is “deeply shocked, saddened and numbed” by his actions. She said the couple had been separated for six months and their only contact since that time had been because of the daughter they had together.
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The mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, said there has been a sharp rise in hate crime and Islamophobic attacks in the wake of the attacks. He did not give any figures but urged Londoners to show unity and report any incidents of hate crime to the police.
- About 200 imams, clerics and scholars clutching single red roses have held prayers at the site of last Saturday’s attack. Carrying signs saying: “Isis will lose, love will win” and, “Not in our name”, the group of Islamic religious leaders from mosques and schools from all over the UK were accompanied by representatives of other faiths, including Christians, Jews and Sikhs.
- The prime minister has threatened to change human rights laws if they stood in the way of restricting the freedom of terror suspects who could not be prosecuted for lack of evidence. In an interview with the Sun, Theresa May added that she would look into reintroducing 28-day detention for terror suspects if she wins the election.
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A man has been arrested on suspicion of terror offences at Heathrow airport in connection with the Manchester Arena bombing. The 38-year-old was held as part of a planned operation and there was no direct threat to the airport, Greater Manchester police said.
The British Red Cross is calling for people to donate to its newly launched UK solidarity fund for victims of terror attacks - starting with London - through a Saturday night fundraising campaign.
Some restaurants, including those in the area of the attacks and the chain Eat will be donating money from a chosen dish. Some cafes, pubs and bars, including all 120 Greene King Pubs in the capital, will ask patrons to donate the cost of their drink and Uber is giving a pound for every journey taken on Saturday night.
Deliveroo will be making a £1 donation for every single order placed across London on Saturday from 6pm onwards.
The campaign is backed by Borough Market and many of the restaurants and outlets in the area will be supporting the fundraising.
Donald Hyslop, chair of trustees at Borough Market, said:
At Borough Market, we believe that the cooking and sharing of food has the power to unite people like nothing else, so for Londoners to be able to show their support for the victims and their families by meeting up to enjoy a meal and a drink will offer a forceful reminder to those who sought to divide us.
By backing the Red Cross’s Saturday Night for London, we can all play our part. Last Saturday night ended horribly. Let’s ensure that this Saturday night brings at least a little solace.
Channel 4 is now “liaising” with police over a documentary it broadcast last year that featured Khuram Butt, one of the London Bridge attackers.
The broadcaster said it approached the police on Tuesday about the documentary but declined to provide any more details, other than it was “liaising” with them.
The police made no formal request for film or programme maker’s notes to be handed over under the Police and Criminal Evidence Act or Terrorism Act after the documentary – called The Jihadis Next Door – initially screened in January 2016.
An Irish parliamentarian in the main government party Fine Gael has called for a new centralised intelligence agency in Ireland in the light of one of the London Bridge attackers having lived in Ireland.
Fine Gael TD for Dublin Fingal and a member of the Dublin parliament’s justice and equality committee Alan Farrell said any such body should be a separate unit from the Garda Siochana. The Garda is carrying out an investigation into how Rachid Redouane had an Irish immigration identity card and appeared to be an “unknown” in terms of both the Republic’s police force and MI5 in Britain.
Redouane had lived in Dublin and moved apparently without being monitored to and fro across the Irish Sea. On the need for a national intelligence agency, Farrell said today:
Having conducted research on this matter over the past number of weeks, I firmly believe that a dedicated agency should be established, in line with best international practice.
It is my opinion that the establishment of a centralised intelligence apparatus in the State, perhaps in the form of a separate intelligence agency or task force, would complement the work of An Garda Síochána and military intelligence in terms of enhancing our national security. Furthermore, specific training must be provided for those engaged with intelligence gathering, up to and including serving Gardaí.
Meanwhile, the Brexit secretary, David Davis, has said that despite Redouane’s presence in Dublin there will be absolutely no end to freedom of movement of peoples between Ireland and Britain under the two states’ pre EU common travel area agreement.
Spain’s interior minister Juan Ignacio Zoido tweeted: “Ignacio Echeverría’s heroism should be our guide as we face the senselessness of terrorism. My love to his family. What an example.”
El heroísmo de Ignacio Echeverría debe guiarnos ante la sinrazón del #terrorismo. Descanse en paz. Mi cariño a su familia, todo un ejemplo. pic.twitter.com/OaTzqRn13U
— Juan Ignacio Zoido (@zoidoJI) June 7, 2017
Ex-wife of attacker 'deeply shocked'
Charisse O’Leary, the ex-wife of one of the London Bridge attackers, Rachid Redouane, has said she is “deeply shocked” by his actions.
In a statement, she said:
My heartfelt thoughts go out to all those murdered or injured in the events of 3rd June 2017.
I am deeply shocked, saddened and numbed by the actions of my ex partner who has killed and injured so many innocent people.
Since discovering that it was Rachid that was responsible I have shed many tears for the people caught up in this horrific incident.
Rachid and I have been separated for six months. We have a beautiful young daughter, that for the last six months has been our only bond and reason for contact.
My thoughts and efforts now are with trying to bring up my daughter with the knowledge that someday I will have to try and explain to her why her father did what he did.
I wish to make it absolutely clear, so there can be no doubt, I condemn his actions and do not support the beliefs he held that led to him committing this atrocity.
O’Leary was one of 12 people arrested after Saturday’s atrocity but was later released without charge.
Updated
Over-zealous traffic wardens put parking tickets on at least six cars trapped inside the police cordon set up after the London Bridge attack, the Sun reports.
It claims the wardens swooped shortly after the cordon was lifted, giving motorists whose cars had been inaccessible since Saturday night little time to remove their vehicles.
Graphic designer Antoni Perry, 45, said police told him he could collect his car from inside the cordon at 8.10am today but when he got there he discovered he had been given a ticket timed 15 minutes later at 8.25am.
A TfL spokesman said:
We unreservedly apologise for our insensitive mistake. These fines should never have been issued and will all be immediately cancelled.
Ignacio Echeverría, whose family have confirmed he died in Saturday’s attack, is thought to have been skateboarding in a park when he stopped to defend a woman who had been injured in the attack near Borough Market. He has been hailed as a hero for apparently using his skateboard to take on the attackers. Friends who were with him at the time said he fell to the ground after confronting one of the assailants.
The Spanish government also released a statement this afternoon confirming his death. It reads:
With great sadness and dismay, the government has received confirmation from the British authorities that Ignacio Echeverría is among the victims of the cruel terrorist attacks that took place in London last Saturday.
The government wishes to tell his family and friends that they are not alone in their pain and that Spain is with them, sharing their sense of desolation and standing by them at this terrible time.
Ignacio Echeverría’s behaviour during the attacks was exemplary and offers us all a model of solidarity. His bravery in defending a defenceless person reminds us of the need to remain united against the scourge of terrorism, against those whose only language is violence and terror. The government firmly believes that democratic unity can overcome many challenges, including the senselessness of terrorism.
Police forces are reviewing security arrangements around the general election following concerns that polling stations could be targets for terrorists.
In the wake of Saturday’s London Bridge attack, returning officers have liaised with officers in an effort to keep voters remain safe.
The elections watchdog sent a bulletin to returning officers last month offering practical advice on security in the days following the terror attack on Westminster, which left four innocent people dead and injured more than 50.
The Electoral Commission told officials to approach the Cabinet Office for more funds if necessary once they have assessed possible security threats. The bulletin said:
Where additional measures are identified through that liaison as being needed to address any particular enhanced risks, Cabinet Office has indicated that it would look sympathetically at costs incurred in putting these in place.
There is a reluctance to place police guards outside polling stations but at the same time there is concern for the safety of voters in some areas.
Reports claimed today that police would be stationed outside polling booths in Tower Hamlets in east London to stop voter intimidation.
A spokeswoman for the Metropolitan police said:
Following the attack on Saturday night a full review of the policing operation for Thursday has been carried out. Every London borough will have a specific, dedicated policing operation. Across London there will be a specialist and highly flexible operation in place that can deploy and respond as needed.
West Midlands police said:
We will have in place a police operation and there will be an increase in patrols in some of the areas where voting is taking place.
Greater Manchester police are expected to release a statement this afternoon clarifying their position on polling station security. The city is already on high alert following the suicide bombing at Manchester Arena last month that killed 22 people including seven children.
Updated
Ignacio Echeverría's family confirm his death
In a Facebook post on Wednesday afternoon, Ignacio Echeverría’s family confirmed his death in the London attacks. His sister Isabel wrote:
My brother Ignacio tried to stop the terrorists and lost his own life trying to save others. [Ignacio] we love you and we will never forget you.
Another sister, Ana, posted:
Ignacio didn’t survive the moment of the attack. Thank you to all those who love and cared about him. We know we are not the only ones saddened.
The Spanish government also confirmed his death in a statement.
About 200 imams, clerics and scholars clutching single red roses joined in prayer at the site of last Saturday’s attack.
Carrying signs saying: “Isis will lose, love will win” and, “Not in our name”, the group of Islamic religious leaders from mosques and schools from all over the UK was greeted with applause from onlookers as it approached the southern end of London bridge at 1.30pm. They were accompanied by representatives of other faiths, including Christians, Jews and Sikhs.
Before adding their flowers to the growing mound on the pavement, speakers urged Britons to stand “shoulder to shoulder to fight the menace of terrorism” and spoke of the “distorted and perverted interpretation of Islam” espoused by extremists.
“Those who commit acts of terror are criminals, not martyrs,” said one. Another spoke of the “British values of freedom, democracy and human rights”, and the need to turn “inter-faith dialogue into inter-faith action”.
Rabbi Laura Janner-Klausner, the senior rabbi of Reform Judaism, said British Jews “stand with our Muslim brothers and sisters”. She added:
We must and will stop our people from turning towards sickening ideologies which we have in all forms of religion, including Judaism and Islam.
Christopher Chessun, the bishop of Southwark, welcomed Muslim religious leaders from all over the UK, saying “a strong sense of common purpose has built up within our communities over months and years”.
He told the Guardian that the vigil was “a determined act of witness and solidarity”, and that the local community and the nation had experienced “many circles of suffering”.
Updated
Second victim officially named by police
The Met has confirmed that 21-year-old Australian Sara Zelenak was one of those killed.
Specially trained family liaison officers are supporting her family, it said.
A statement on behalf of the Zelenak and Wallace family said: “We are deeply saddened at the tragic loss of our beautiful daughter and sister of Harrison and Scott.
“Sara’s family and friends are devastated. We would like to thank our friends and family who are helping us through this very difficult time.”
Victim in #LondonBridge terror attack named as Sara Zelenak, 21, an Australian national https://t.co/1NlTe0RuuF pic.twitter.com/PtorlaUwlG
— Metropolitan Police (@metpoliceuk) June 7, 2017
Updated
Police are continuing to search a house in Christchurch Road, Ilford, after arresting a 30-year-old man on suspicion of the commission, preparation or instigation of terrorist acts in the area earlier today.
On Tuesday police were also seen searching a property in Fairfield Road, also in Ilford, east London.
Updated
Zaghba’s Italian mother, Valeria Collina, has also spoken of her remorse and commitment to fighting extremism. “I can spread the knowledge of the real Islam for the rest of my life,” she told Sky News.
The mother of one of the London Bridge attackers speaks exclusively to Sky News @IanWoodsSky pic.twitter.com/JGhd9IFCpm
— Sky News (@SkyNews) June 7, 2017
The account of the Bologna prosecutor Giuseppe Amato appears to have been confirmed by Zaghba’s Italian mother. Valeria Collina told journalists police officers had followed her son every time he was in Italy.
“I think they’ve done incredible work. They knew well how worried I was and aware of what was going on,” she said, according to an account published by Ansa.
Collina, also told reporters who had camped outside her apartment in the outskirts of Bologna that she had told police to make sure and not allow her son to travel to Istanbul after he was stopped by them last year.
She described a young man who was rigid and struggling, and whose worst fear at one point was that he would be arrested. But after police stopped him at a Bologna airport last year on his way to Syria via Istanbul, Collina claimed she warned her son that he needed to get himself back on the right track.
She warned him not to look at images on the internet that could be controversial and to “get to know the right people”. Ultimately she was heartened by the fact that he was a hard worker at the restaurant where he worked as a cook and waiter.
“It made me calm,” she told reporters.
Updated
Italian officials wrote to UK about Youssef Zaghba
An Italian prosecutor who led an investigation into the London Bridge attacker Youssef Zaghba has insisted that Italian officials did send their UK counterparts a written warning about the risk he posed last year and monitored him constantly while he was in Italy.
Giuseppe Amato, the chief prosecutor in Bologna, who investigated Zaghba when he tried to travel from Italy to join Islamic State in Syria in March 2016, told the Guardian that information about the risk he posed was shared with officials in the UK.
Amato added that he personally saw a report that had been sent to London by the chief counter-terrorism official in Bologna about the Moroccan-born Italian citizen.
“We did our best. We could just monitor and surveil him and send a note to British authorities, that’s all we could do. And we did it,” Amato said. “Since he moved to London, he came back to Italy once in a while for a total of 10 days. And during those 10 days we never let him out of our sight.”
The claims will increase the pressure on the British security services to explain how they failed to stop the terror plot that killed eight people on Saturday night at London Bridge and Borough Market. The government has already admitted that another of the attackers, British citizen Khuram Butt, 27, was known to the police and MI5 and they had opened an investigation into him in 2015, before moving his case into the lower echelons of 3,000 terrorism suspects.
Scotland Yard said on Tuesday that Zaghba “was not a police or MI5 subject of interest”.
MI5 did not regard him as being important enough to replace others on its priority list.
The mayor of London’s office has given figures to back up Sadiq Khan’s claim of a significant spike in hate crime in the wake of the attack (see earlier).
Provisional figures released by his office show the number of racist incidents recorded on Monday was 54, compared with a daily average of 38 so far this year.
There has also been an increase in Islamophobic hate incidents, with 20 on Monday, compared with a daily average of 3.5 this year.
This is the highest daily level of Islamophobic incidents so far this year, and is also higher than the levels following the Paris attacks in November 2015 and the murder of Lee Rigby in May 2013.
Updated
Number of people in critical care falls to 10
Three more of the casualties from Saturday night have now left hospital, and five are no longer in critical care, the NHS has said today in its latest update.
Twenty-nine of the injured are still being treated in five different London hospitals, down from 32 yesterday. And there are now 10 people still receiving critical care after being wounded in the van and knife attacks, five fewer than the 15 in that category yesterday.
NHS England said in a brief statement: “Of the 48 individuals who were conveyed, a total of 29 patients are currently being cared for in London hospitals. Of these, 10 patients remain in a critical condition.”
Twelve of the injured, and two of those in a critical condition, are being cared for at the Royal London hospital. Ten are at King’s College hospital, including three in critical care. St Mary’s hospital is still looking after two patients, including one in critical care. Those hospitals are three of the four NHS major trauma centres in the capital.
St Thomas’ hospital is caring for four patients, all of whom are in a critical condition. And the last of the 29 injured is at University College hospital; he or she is not in critical care.
Updated
Khan reports ‘significant spike in hate crime’
The mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, says there has been a sharp rise in hate crime and Islamophobic attacks in the wake of the attacks.
In a Facebook message he called on Londoners to show unity and report any incidents of hate crime to the police.
The statement said: “There has been a significant spike in incidents of hate crime and Islamophobic incidents in the aftermath of the London Bridge attack.”
Khan did not give figures.
The campaign group Tell Mama, which monitors anti-Muslim attacks, says death threats were sent to a Muslim family in south London when they displayed Islamic signage in their windows.
Anti-Muslim Hate Letter Shakes Family in South London https://t.co/tUff2A3BS7 pic.twitter.com/PlfPLQpSae
— TellMAMAUK (@TellMamaUK) June 7, 2017
Khan’s statement added:
“One of the greatest things about London is our defiant unity in the face of adversity – and that will not change in the aftermath of this horrific attack.
“Just as the police will do everything possible to root out extremism from our city, so we will take a zero-tolerance approach to hate crime.
“If you witness a hate crime please report it to the police. If you commit a hate crime, you face arrest.
“I’m calling on all Londoners to pull together, and send a clear message around the world that our city will never be divided by these hideous individuals who seek to harm us and destroy our way of life.”
Updated
The British government has responded to questions over the length of time it is taking to identify the victims of the London Bridge attack by referring them to this information from the Metropolitan police.
Foreign journalists have been sent this statement from the UK government:
Identifying large numbers of fatalities in a major incident is a complex and challenging process. Accurately identifying victims is crucial and every care is taken to ensure this is done as quickly as possible and to the highest standard, with due consideration to the families, in liaison with the senior identification manager and coroner.
Specialist officers are working with the families of victims to identify those who were killed in Saturday’s attack as soon as possible.
Family liaison officers have now deployed into all those families where we believe people to be dead.
Updated
What we know so far
- The number of people killed in Saturday’s attack has increased to eight after police searching for missing Frenchman Xavier Thomas recovered a body from the Thames at Limehouse. The French president, Emmanuel Macron, confirmed that three French citizens were killed in the attack. He did not confirm their names.
- Spain’s foreign minister has again expressed his concern over the length of time it is taking the British authorities to find out what has happened to Ignacio Echeverría. Alfonso Dastis said he was “rather baffled” that London had not been able to clarify the situation.
- Six other victims have been named as: Australian women Sara Zelenak and Kirsty Boden, Canadian Christine Archibald, Briton James McMullan, and two Frenchmen Alexandre Pigeard and Sébastien Bélanger.
- Police investigating Saturday’s attack have arrested a man in Ilford on suspicion of terror offences. He is the 14th person to be arrested. Twelve people arrested earlier in the week have been released.
- The prime minister threatened to change human rights laws if they stood in the way of restricting the freedom of terror suspects who could not be prosecuted for lack of evidence. In an interview with the Sun, Theresa May added that she would look into reintroducing 28-day detention for terror suspects if she wins the election.
- MI5 is to review its counter-terrorism operations as questions mount about how the attackers slipped through the net. May pledged that MI5 would carry out a review after being repeatedly challenged about how the Home Office, police and intelligence services dealt with the information relating to the attackers.
- The third London Bridge attacker, Moroccan-born Italian Youssef Zaghba, 22, was flagged on an international terrorism database after he was stopped while trying to travel to Syria and, it has been claimed, told officials: “I am going to be a terrorist.”
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A man has been arrested in the Republic of Ireland on suspicion of using forged documents, after papers in the name of one of the attackers were discovered at a flat in Limerick. The Moroccan national was detained at a property in Limerick after Irish police received a tip from colleagues in London.
- One of the attackers was embroiled in two heated confrontations with fellow Muslims who challenged his extremist mindset. Khuram Butt called a community cohesion campaigner a “traitor” and had a “violent scuffle” with a member of an anti-extremism campaign group, while the secretary of a mosque said the Muslim community in east London had reported him to authorities at least three times.
- A man has been arrested on suspicion of terror offences at Heathrow airport in connection with the Manchester Arena bombing. The 38-year-old was held as part of a planned operation and there was no direct threat to the airport, Greater Manchester police said.
Updated
After the third attacker, Youssef Zaghba, was stopped at Bologna airport last year his Italian mother urged him to stop looking at “strange things” on the internet, she told the BBC.
Valeria Collina said: “From 2016 there were problems with my son - the fact that he was stopped at Bologna airport [whilst trying to get to Istanbul and then to Syria].
“He would say to me ‘Come on Mum let’s go live in Syria. Over there, they have a pure Islam.’
“I told him ‘Are you crazy? I have no intention of going to Syria with you or with anyone. I’m fine in my country.’”
Collina told the BBC that she supported a decision by the Italian police to monitor her son. The Italians shared information with other countries’ intelligence agencies, including the UK’s.
But Youssef Zaghba, a 22-year-old Italian of Moroccan origin, was still allowed to travel abroad.
Collina told the BBC: “After the whole incident at Bologna airport, I told him ‘You have to be perfect now. You can’t look at strange things on the internet or meet strange people.’ But then when he went back to London…”
Spain’s foreign minister has again expressed his concern over the length of time it is taking the British authorities to find out what has happened to Ignacio Echeverría.
Speaking at a press conference during a visit to Moscow on Wednesday, Alfonso Dastis said he was “rather baffled” that London had not been able to clarify the situation more than three days after the London Bridge attacks.
“It’s really hard to understand the delay,” he said. “We can respect whatever protocols need to be observed, but you have to think of the situation the family – who are also victims – is going through. It’s a situation that isn’t far off being described as inhumane.”
Dastis has already raised the matter with his UK counterpart, Boris Johnson, asking him to speed up the identification process so as not to “add to the pain and anguish of the families”.
On Monday he told the Spanish news agency Efe: “We’re pushing the British authorities because, frankly, this isn’t the kind of thing that can go on and on.”
Updated
The Met has officially confirmed that the number of victims from the attack now stands at eight.
Number of people killed as a result of #London terror attack is now eight. https://t.co/i7wm7ONwWA pic.twitter.com/caCNvh1gZx
— Metropolitan Police (@metpoliceuk) June 7, 2017
Officers earlier said they had recovered a body from the Thames after appealing for information about Xavier Thomas, 45, who had not been seen since the night of the terrorist attack on London Bridge.
They also said that formal identification had not taken place but that Thomas’s family had been informed of the development.
Updated
Despite tweets and reports apparently confirming the death of the missing Spaniard, Ignacio Echeverría, the Spanish government told the Guardian it has no updates on the whereabouts and condition of Echeverría.
A report emerged last night claiming that the HSBC worker was dead and citing interior ministry sources. However, it was dismissed as inaccurate by the ministry.
There was further confusion on Tuesday after Echeverría’s aunt tweeted that her nephew “is in heaven with his inseparable skateboard”.
After condolences messages came flooding in, she clarified matters, saying there had been no official confirmation.
The bottom line is that four days after the London Bridge attack, we still don’t know what has happened to Echeverría - and the Spanish government and his family are asking why it is taking so long.
Updated
Macron confirms three French victims
The French president, Emmanuel Macron, has confirmed that a third French victim has been identified among those killed in attack.
Speaking in Paris, Macron said France was informed of the news on Wednesday morning.
He did not name the third victim, but his comments come after police searching for Xavier Thomas found a body in the Thames at Limehouse.
Macron added: “We are paying a heavy cost in these attacks.”
Jon Henley adds: Libération quoted Macron saying:
“We have had confirmation of the new death toll this morning. As far as French nationals are concerned, there have indeed been three fatalities and eight wounded. We are paying a heavy price in these attacks.”
Updated
Family still await confirmation of Spanish banker's fate
The family of Spanish banker Ignacio Echeverría are still awaiting confirmation of his fate after he tried to fend off a terrorist with his skateboard and help an injured woman.
Spanish media claimed that relatives were told of the 39-year-old’s death by Spanish ambassador Carlos Bastarreche after the family flew in to London on Tuesday.
Echeverría was reported missing after he was last seen in the area of Borough Market defending a woman with his skateboard.
His father, Joaquin Echeverría, had told the Associated Press that British authorities had not shared any information with them, but his son’s employer, HSBC, had provided the services of a private detective to help with their search.
On Wednesday, journalist and relative Isabel Durán had written on Twitter: “Ignacio Echeverría attacked the terrorists to try to save a woman.” She added that he was “in heaven with his inseparable skateboard”, but later tweeted that there had been no official confirmation of his death.
Ignacio Echeverría atacó a los terroristas para intentar salvar a una mujer. Está en el cielo con su inseparable monopatín #héroeespañol pic.twitter.com/qqtOiCAJbS
— Isabel Durán (@IsabelDuran_) June 6, 2017
Updated
West Midlands police have denied a claim shared by the columnist Katie Hopkins that Birmingham central mosque was a “no-go area” for officers.
The Daily Mail columnist, who left LBC last month after her “final solution” tweet in the wake of the Manchester Arena attack, shared what she claimed were comments from a serving officer in the force.
Chris Johnson, chief superintendent for West Birmingham, said there was no truth in the claim.
In a statement he said: “I would be disappointed if this false claim damaged our excellent relationship with the mosque and communities.”
. @KTHopkins our statement from @ChSuptJohnson. Please feel free to share. pic.twitter.com/1WzrBYrAw2
— West Midlands Police (@WMPolice) June 7, 2017
Updated
Body recovered from the Thames
Police have recovered a body from the Thames after appealing for information about Xavier Thomas, 45.
The French national has not been seen since the night of the terrorist attack on London Bridge.
In a statement the Met said: “On Tuesday 6 June at approximately 19:44 hours the body of a man was recovered from the river, near Limehouse by specialist officers from the marine police unit.
“Formal identification has not yet taken place, however Mr Thomas’s next of kin have been informed of this development.”
Earlier the French government confirmed that two French citizens were killed in the attack and a third was missing.
Updated
Islamic State has claimed responsibility for deadly attacks on Iran’s parliament and the tomb of revolutionary founder Ruhollah Khomeini in Tehran.
Four gunmen burst into Tehran’s parliament complex with rifles and a pistol, and one of the attackers blew himself up on the fourth floor, the semi-official Isna news agency reported, putting the death toll at three.
Tasnim news agency said unconfirmed sources on the ground were reporting that seven people including a guard had been killed.
Journalists reported on social media that MPs had been taken hostage and that the attackers continued to shoot at people outside the building.
Updated
Photograph: London Ambulance Service NHS Tru/PA
A paramedic has described being confronted by a sea of bodies, with patients and police officers “screaming for help” amid gunfire – moments after the London Bridge attacks, PA reports.
Gary Edwards, 29, said he had “a gut feeling” about the extent of the tragedy as he arrived on the south side of the bridge at around 10.10pm on Saturday.
He said he feared there was something “more sinister” than initial reports, which suggested a possible drink-driver running down pedestrians on the bridge, as he put on body armour and ran towards danger.
The paramedic said he feared for his own safety as he prepared to come face to face with an armed attack. And he praised the speed and scale of the response from his emergency service colleagues which he said “definitely” saved lives.
Recalling the moments after attack, Edwards said:
“Someone ran towards me to ask for help. As this happened, 10 gunshots went off behind me. It was very close – maybe 40 yards. I didn’t know if it was the police firing the guns or the enemies, or a bit of both – an exchange of fire. At this point I felt unsafe. As soon as I heard the gunshots I put my ballistic armour on. I didn’t have time for my helmet. People were running towards me. I was worried someone was going to run towards me with a knife. I felt quite exposed. I felt like a target.”
Edwards, who joined the London ambulance service in 2008, had been on solo duty in Southwark that evening in a Volvo fast-response car. He was attending a call several streets away with Met officers when the first details came through on the police radio.
He said: “Instantly I had a gut feeling something was going on, something more sinister. The police officers ran off and I followed them.
“When I arrived there was a sea of blue lights in front of me from the police cars. There were multiple patients laying on the floor, and lots of people running towards me as I parked up opposite the Post Office.
“I couldn’t get any further up because of the amount of people and police cars. There were 10 to 15 people laying all over the pavement and in the middle of the road. I’m being approached by lots of members of the public and police officers screaming for help. At that part of the bridge I was the first paramedic on the scene.”
Edwards, one of around 80 called to the scene, said several casualties barricaded themselves in bars and restaurants amid fear the attack was continuing.
Updated
A poem left outside the bar where James McMullan was killed has been shared by his sister on Facebook. It is signed “anon” and the last paragraph reads:
These bridges are London; though we weep for the lost,
These bridges are London; let the grief wash across,
They care not the creed of the people who stride,
Only that we continue along and throw fear aside,
The Thames flows forward: it’s banks still throng
In this city of bridges where all comers belong
Poem shared by the sister of London Bridge victim James McMullan, left outside the bar where he was killed pic.twitter.com/ub29dnNzdj
— Helena Horton (@horton_official) June 7, 2017
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A man has been arrested on suspicion of terror offences at Heathrow airport in connection with the Manchester Arena bombing.
The 38-year-old was held as part of a planned operation and there was no direct threat to the airport, Greater Manchester police said.
A total of seven men are in custody over last month’s atrocity that killed 22 people, including seven children, and left more than 100 injured.
The latest arrest came after police issued photos of a white Nissan Micra believed to have been used by suicide bomber Salman Abedi to store parts for his improvised explosive device.
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The shadow Brexit secretary, Keir Starmer, has said Britain’s human rights law does not prevent the successful capture and prosecution of terrorists, warning that hard-won freedoms should not be traded unnecessarily.
Starmer, a former director of public prosecutions who oversaw dozens of terror cases, said Theresa May was misguided to focus on human rights law rather than policing cuts.
“There is no incompatibility between protecting human rights and taking effective action against terrorists,” he told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme.
“If we start throwing away our adherence to human rights in response to what has happened in the last three months, we are throwing away the values at the heart of the democracy, everything that we say we believe in.”
Police are continuing to search a property in Ilford, east London, where they arrested a 30-year-old man this morning.
In its latest statement on the investigation the Met said:
Detectives investigating the London Bridge terror attack have carried out a search warrant at an address in east London in the early hours of Wednesday 7 June.
Officers from the Met’s counter terrorism command, supported by officers from the territorial support group, entered the address in Ilford at around 0130hrs.
A 30-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of the commission, preparation or instigation of terrorist acts (contrary to section 5 Terrorism Act 2006) and has been taken into custody at a south London police station under the Terrorism Act 2000.
A search of the address is ongoing.
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Six confirmed dead and two more missing
A second French citizen has been confirmed killed in the London Bridge attack and a third is missing taking the number of potential victims to eight.
The French foreign minister, Jean-Yves Le Drian, said in a statement: “It is with great sadness that I have learned that one of the French citizens, who was previously given as unaccounted for, has been identified among those who have died.”
The minister did not identify the new victim, but reports said it was Sébastien Bélanger, 36, AFP reports.
Bélanger, was reported to be missing by his girlfriend, Gerda Bennet, in a series of online posts. Bennet, who works as a bartender in Hoxton in the east of the city, said her boyfriend had been at London Bridge with friends on Saturday night and had not been seen since.
Appealing for information, she said she had called his number repeatedly but had heard no news. “My heart is broken and I wish no one in this world could feel what I feel now,” she wrote.
Alexandre Pigeard, 26, who was working in a French restaurant in Borough Market, has already been confirmed as being among the seven people killed in the knife and van attack on Saturday.
Le Drian said a third French citizen remained missing following the attack.
He is thought to be 45-year-old Xavier Thomas, who was in London for the weekend with his girlfriend.
London’s Metropolitan police on Tuesday issued a public appeal for information about him.
“Witness accounts suggest that it is possible that Xavier was struck by the van that resulted in him being thrown into the River Thames,” police said in a statement.
A Met spokesman said the search for Thomas continued on Wednesday.
Thomas’ girlfriend was seriously injured after being hit by the attackers’ van.
The Spanish authorities are still trying to trace Ignacio Echeverría, a 39-year-old from Madrid who works for HSBC in London. He has not been seen since the attack on Saturday night.
He had apparently been skateboarding in a park with friends when he stopped to help a woman who had been injured in the atrocity. His family have put out an appeal on Facebook, but are still awaiting news.
Echeverría’s brother Joaquín, who is using Facebook to appeal for information, said the family had been asked for his fingerprints, adding: “That’s not a good sign.”
If Thomas and Echeverría are confirmed to have been killed in the attack that would take the number of victims to eight: two Australians, three French, a Spaniard, a Briton and a Canadian.
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Borough High Street was reopened to traffic on Wednesday morning, but Borough Market remains closed off, behind tall police barriers made from substantial sheets of green metal and netting.
There is still a heavy police presence, with officers guarding all the entrances to the undercover market beneath the railway lines, and standing at the doorway of the Barrowboy and Banker pub.
There is no sign of any armed officers this morning, and most of the police’s time is taken up with giving directions to confused commuters, who are still trying to navigate the area, where many back streets remain closed off to the public.
Southwark council draped netting over the large pile of flowers piled opposite the Barrowboy and Banker pub to stop them being blown away in yesterday’s storm. Even the market’s shops and restaurants that face onto Borough High Street – Borough Kitchen, Lobos Tapas and Leon – remain closed. Police said the market was unlikely to reopen today.
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Two French citizens confirmed dead
A French government minister has confirmed that a second French citizen was killed in the attack, AFP reports.
#BREAKING France confirms second French death in London attack: minister
— AFP news agency (@AFP) June 7, 2017
On Tuesday French media named one of the victims as Alexandre Pigeard, 27, from Normandy. It said he who moved to London two-and-a-half years ago and was working on Saturday night at Borough market restaurant called Borough Bistro.
La Manche Libre quoted residents from Pigeard’s home town, Colleville-Montgomery near Caen as saying his death had been confirmed by the mayor. “He was a kid who wanted to succeed, who loved life,” one resident told the newspaper.
The paper said he was a familiar figure in Caen, where he had worked in a number of bars before leaving for the UK. The mother of Vincent Le Berre, a French bar manager at Boro Bistro in Borough market, earlier told Le Telegramme that her son believed a colleague of his, Alexandre, had been killed at the bar.
One of the missing French citizens was reported to be Xavier Thomas, who has not been seen since Saturday night.
His girlfriend, Christine Delcros, was seriously injured. Her sister, Nathalie Cros Brohan, posted online that that she was on her way to London to visit Christine in hospital. She appealed for anyone with news of Thomas to get in touch, adding: “We are terribly worried.”
On Tuesday, Scotland Yard appealed for information about the 45-year-old, saying they thought it was possible he had been hit by the van and thrown into the Thames.
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So far four people from three different countries are confirmed to be among the seven victims of the attacks. They are:
Sara Zelenak
The 21-year-old Australian had been missing after becoming separated from friends during the attack. Her family were bracing for the worst, and the government expressed serious concerns about her safety.
On Wednesday friends and family were told Zelenak had been confirmed dead. Zelenak has been described by family as a “very special, kindred spirit”, who never did anything wrong.
The Australian foreign affairs minister, Julie Bishop, released a statement on Wednesday saying that two Australians were among those killed by three attackers on Saturday night in London.
Kirsty Boden
The family of Boden, 28, from South Australia, confirmed her death on Tuesday.
Boden, a nurse working in London, was killed as she ran towards danger in an effort to help people on London Bridge.
Her family said Boden was “loved and adored by her family, friends and boyfriend”.
“She was the most outgoing, kind and generous person who loved to help people,” they said. “Helping people was what she loved to do in her job as a nurse and in her daily life.
“As she ran towards danger, in an effort to help people on the bridge, Kirsty sadly lost her life. We are so proud of Kirsty’s brave actions which demonstrate how selfless, caring and heroic she was, not only on that night, but throughout all of her life. Kirsty – we love you and we will miss you dearly.”
Christine Archibald
The 30 year old Canadian was the first to be named as victim of the attack.
After graduating in social work from Mount Royal University in Calgary, Alberta, she had worked at a homeless shelter. In a statement, her family said: “We grieve the loss of our beautiful, loving daughter and sister. She had room in her heart for everyone and believed strongly that every person was to be valued and respected.”
“She lived this belief, working in a shelter for the homeless until she moved to Europe to be with her fiance. She would have had no understanding of the callous cruelty that caused her death. Please honour her by making your community a better place. Volunteer your time and labour or donate to a homeless shelter. Tell them Chrissy sent you.”
Archibald was with her fiance, Tyler Ferguson, when she died.
James McMullan
On Monday the family of McMullan, who had been on a night out, said they believed he was among the victims.
Although his body has not been formally identified, his sister Melanie McMullan said in a tearful statement that his bank card was found on a body at the scene, and that the family expected official confirmation on Wednesday.
McMullan was described by his sister as “someone who put friends and family above all else”.
She insisted that the family would not be drawn into hatred by the atrocity. “While our pain will never diminish, it is important for us to carry on with our lives in direct opposition to those who would try to destroy us, and remember that hatred is the refuge of small-minded individuals, and will only breed more,” she said. “This is not a course we will follow, despite our loss.”
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The continuing political row about human rights and counter-terrorism is being covered as it unfolds on our politics live blog.
On this blog we will focus on the aftermath of the attacks, the latest on the victims and the ongoing police operation.
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Police ran a check on the third attacker, Youssef Zaghba, at Stansted airport in January, two Italian security services sources have told Politico.
The check – a query of the European Schengen Information System (SIS II) database – would have revealed that Zaghba had been stopped by Italian police a year earlier at Bologna airport and investigated for terrorism-related charges.
The SIS II database is a key tool for combating cross-border crime and contains more than 65 million entries on individuals, weapons and vehicles. Last year it received 3 billion queries from police and border officials across Europe. The system records details about specific queries by security agencies.
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What we know so far
- Police investigating Saturday’s attack have arrested a man in Ilford on suspicion of terror offences. He is the 14th person to be arrested. Twelve people arrested earlier in the week have been released.
- The prime minister threatened to change human rights laws if they stood in the way of restricting the freedom of terror suspects who could not be prosecuted for lack of evidence. In an interview with the Sun, Theresa May added that she would look into reintroducing 28-day detention for terror suspects if she wins the election.
- MI5 is to review its counter-terrorism operations as questions mount about how the attackers slipped through the net. May pledged that MI5 would carry out a review after being repeatedly challenged about how the Home Office, police and intelligence services dealt with the information relating to the attackers.
- The third London Bridge attacker, Moroccan-born Italian Youssef Zaghba, 22, was flagged on an international terrorism database after he was stopped while trying to travel to Syria and told officials: “I am going to be a terrorist,” it has been claimed.
- Two young Australian women, Sara Zelenak and Kirsty Boden, are the latest victims to be named. On Wednesday, friends and family were told Zelenak, 21, had been confirmed dead.
- Scotland Yard appealed for information on French man Xavier Thomas, who it is feared could be the eighth victim. Relatives of Ignacio Echeverría, the 39-year-old Spaniard missing since the attacks, have joined the Spanish government in asking British authorities why it is taking so long to find out what has happened to him.
- A man has been arrested in the Republic of Ireland on suspicion of using forged documents, after papers in the name of one of the attackers were discovered at a flat in Limerick. The Moroccan national was detained at a property in Limerick after Irish police received a tip from colleagues in London.
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One of the attackers was embroiled in two heated confrontations with fellow Muslims who challenged his extremist mindset. Khuram Butt, called a community cohesion campaigner a “traitor” and had a “violent scuffle” with a member of an anti-extremism campaign group, while the secretary of a mosque said the Muslim community in east London had reported him to authorities at least three times.
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