Boris Johnson last night hailed the “extraordinary bravery” of members of the public who tackled a knifeman carrying out a terror attack on London Bridge yesterday.
Police shot and killed the lone assailant who carried out a frenzied attack in which two people were killed and 10 injured.
Despite the attacker seemingly wearing a suicide vest – later confirmed by police to be fake – several bystanders disarmed the knifeman and wrestled him to the ground until armed officers arrived.
One man risked his own safety by running through traffic and jumping through a road partition to tackle the attacker, while others rushed to his aid. It was reported last night that the attacker was a former prisoner convicted of a terrorism offence.
It was said he was out of prison on licence.
As well as the Prime Minister, London Mayor Sadiq Khan also praised the “heroism” of those tackling the knifeman after footage of the incident was shared on social media.
“What’s remarkable about the images we’ve seen is the breathtaking heroism of members of the public who literally ran towards danger, not knowing what confronted them,” said the mayor.
“It’s another example of the bravery and heroism of ordinary Londoners running towards danger, risking their own personal safety, to try to save others.”
Mr Johnson echoed the mayor, praising “the extraordinary bravery of members of the public who physically intervened to protect the lives of others”.
He added: “For me they represent the very best of our country and I thank them on behalf of all of our country.” The widower of the murdered Labour MP Jo Cox, who was killed outside her constituency office by a far-right extremist in 2016, also praised the selfless reaction of people who put themselves at risk.
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