As many as three different incidents, one described as
terror-related, were unfolding in London late Saturday, including a van
crashing into a crowd at London Bridge and a series of stabbings reported at
nearby Borough Market.
Police also urged people to stay away from the Vauxhall
area -- more than a mile away -- as they looked into another
"incident," without elaborating. Gunfire erupted at the bridge,
though witnesses said it could have come from police.
Sources told Sky News the London Bridge crash was being
investigated as a "terrorist incident." It came just over two months
after a deadly car-and-knife attack at British Parliament, and less than two
weeks after the suicide bombing at the Ariana Grande concert in Manchester that
killed 22 people. Britain just recently lowered its official terror threat from
"critical."
Witness Holly Jones told the BBC a white van careened off
the road and struck as many as six people on London Bridge. She said she saw at
least four or five people on the ground.
Another witness, Will Heaven, said he saw people who appeared
to have been hit, and one being put into an ambulance. "We saw injured
people on the road, injured people on the pavement," he told Sky News,
saying the crash did not appear to be accidental.
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Whatever the United States can do to help
out in London and the U. K., we will be there - WE ARE WITH YOU. GOD BLESS!
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A
Borough Market witness identified only as Ben told the BBC: "We saw people
running away and then I saw a man in red with a large blade, at a guess 10
inches long, stabbing a man, about three times. He continued, "It looked
like the man had been trying to intervene, but there wasn't much he could do.
He was being stabbed quite coldly and he slumped to the ground."
Video
from the area showed police with guns bursting into nearby bars and ordering
people to get down on the floor. Frightened onlookers around the bridge walked
away with their hands on their heads.
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Please remain calm, but be alert &
vigilant. We are using all necessary skills & resources at #LondonBridge
#BoroughMarket
#Vauxhall
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Prime Minister Theresa
May and President Trump were briefed with updates. The prime minister is set to
lead a meeting of the government emergency response committee Sunday, British
officials added.
"We stand ready to
provide all possible consular assistance should we become aware of any affected
U.S. citizens," a State Department official told Fox News. "We
strongly encourage U.S. citizens in the United Kingdom to directly contact
concerned family members in the United States to advise them of your safety."
"We're monitoring the situation in London and we're
in touch with British authorities," New York Police Department spokesman
J. Peter Donald told Fox News.
Transportation officials said the busy London Bridge
station has been closed at the request of police; two additional stations also
were closed.
An eyewitness told Sky News he saw people who seemed to
have been run over and people being placed in an ambulance covered in blankets.
This
is a developing story. The Associated Press contributed to this report.
