Twelve arrested near 'home of one of the London Bridge terror killers'

Four women with heads masked by headscarves or other coverings, were driven away in a police van but it was unknown if they had been arrested or simply moved.

Shots were heard as police swooped on a block of flats in Barking, before leading away suspects in handcuffs in connection with Saturday night's violent rampage, in which seven people were killed and 48 injured, many of them stabbed after a van drove into pedestrians.

A cordon was placed around the Elizabeth Fry block of flats in King's Road and an ambulance parked outside, joined by at least four police vans.

A ground floor flat was believed to be home to one of the people suspected to have taken part in the stabbing attacks, although police were unable to confirm this.

And last night it appeared that searches in the area would continue and were thought to include excavations at the rear of the block of flats.

Dramatic pictures showed police escorting a number of women wearing burqas, headscarves or other head coverings from the properties in east London in the wake of the terror attack that left seven people dead and scores more seriously injured.

Officers from the Met's Counter Terrorism Command staged the raids on Sunday morning and confirmed they were in connection with Saturday night's horrifying events.

One of the attackers, killed by police, is understood to be a young man of Pakistani origin, who according to neighbours was very friendly and was always chatty.

One Barking resident, Ken Chigbo, has said that he chillingly spoke to one of the men who committed Saturday’s deadly attacks in London about hiring a van shortly before the incidents.

“I’m moving house at the moment. So I had a big van outside. He came up to me and said ‘oh Ken, you’re moving’,” Mr Chigbo said.

“He’s usually a very nice friendly guy. But this time it was on a different level of nice. It’s quite strange to put into words. He was asking me where I was moving to etc and then he started asking about the van,” he said.

Mr Chigbo said that the man had asked him where he had got the van, how much it had cost and whether it was possible to get it as an automatic.

“All these specific questions about the van, which obviously now makes sense in my head. At the time, I didn’t think anything of it,” he said.

Police confirmed there had been 12 arrested in Barking, with searches in the area continuing.

Assistant Commissioner Mark Rowley said: "I think you are aware there are searches ongoing in east London, and 12 arrests have been made. There is of course more to do, and we will work relentlessly to establish the facts."

"We have established that the van used during the attack, a white Renault van - was recently hired by one of the attackers.

Residents of the block of flats reported hearing “loud bangs”.

One neighbour Ali Nabi said: "I heard the police shouting 'get down, get down', I looked out of my window and they were laid on the floor. All Asian men in black religious robes.

"One was in his 50s, another had a white beard, the third was in his 30s and the fourth was younger. They were all laid down with their hands cuffed behind their backs.

"I think it was someone on the ground floor but I've never seen them."

Damien Pettit, who lives in the Elizabeth Fry block, was shown a photograph of one of the attackers said t looked like a man who lived in the block.

Mr Pettit said: “If it is, I am completely shocked. He has lived here for three years.” Adding that the man he knew had children, used to work for Transport for London and worked at a local gym. he continued: “I am kind of absorbing this at the moment because I can’t understand how it could have been him.

“He has always tried to help in terms of what is going on in the area.”

Bona Mapianda, 26, who lives opposite the flats, said he went outside after being woken by what he thought were "three gunshots."

He said: I saw a woman in a burka being put in an ambulance.

"Three men were against the wall and one of them tried to run. It's so shocking to think terrorists live on your doorstep."

Veronica Oladapo, 45, who lives in the neighbouring Forresters Apartments, said she left her building at around 7am to see police taking four men and a woman away.

She said she saw two men and a woman being taken away by ambulance after other neighbours reported hearing shots fired, while two men were later led away by police.

She said: "When I came out they were already taking some of the casualties away.

"There were three of them ... the ambulance came and took them away.

"There were another two sitting down inside."

One of the men had a hood pulled over his head while another one used a jacket to hide his face, she said.

Police are also understood to have searched an address in East Ham – although it is not yet known whether the raid was linked to the London Bridge attack.

Onlookers have described seeing a large police cordon near a Paddy Power shop.

A picture emerged on social media purported to show a London terror attack suspect lying on the ground with metal canisters attached to his chest.

It's unclear if the man is dead or alive as the images shows him lying on his back outside the Wheatsheaf pub in Borough.

The photographer who shared the image told said he saw three men shot by police.