IN DEPTH: What Is and Isn’t Known About the London Attack

LONDON (AP) —
Forensic police work within a cordoned off area after the attack in the London Bridge area of London, Sunday. (AP Photo/Frank Augstein)

A look at what’s known – and what isn’t – about the terror attack in London that left seven people dead and 48 injured:

What happened?

Police say three men drove a van into pedestrians on busy London Bridge just after 10 p.m., Saturday. The terrorists, wielding blades and knives, ran down a set of stairs into Borough Market, a well-known fruit and vegetable market that’s also home to popular restaurants. There they stabbed people in several different restaurants. Seven people were killed and at least 48 were hospitalized. Still others had minor injuries.

The whole thing lasted about eight minutes, according to police.

10:07 p.m.: Ambulance services were called to reports of a white van plowing through pedestrians on London Bridge, arriving within six minutes.

10:08 p.m.: Police were also called to the scene. Officers searching for the terrorists went through restaurants as staff and customers hid.

10.16 p.m.: Eight minutes after police were first called, three male suspects were shot dead by marksmen on Stoney Street.

12.25 a.m., Sunday: Police declare the attacks on the bridge and at the restaurants as terror attacks.

6 a.m.: London Ambulance Service reports that six people died at the scene, and at least 48 patients were taken to five hospitals overnight. More than 80 medics attended the scene.

9:30 a.m.: Police say the death toll from the attacks stands at seven victims.

Who did it?

Police haven’t said. The terrorists were shot dead by police eight minutes after the incident started. The men were wearing what appeared to be vests with explosives, but Prime Minister Theresa May says they weren’t real and were just meant to cause panic. Twelve people have been arrested in Barking in east London. May has characterized the attack as the work of Islamic terrorists but no group has claimed responsibility yet.

What are the political implications?

That’s not clear either. There’s an election Thursday that May called in an attempt to increase her Conservative Party’s majority in Parliament. The Conservatives were far ahead in polls but their lead has narrowed in recent days. The main political parties halted national campaigning Sunday but were expected to resume Monday, and officials said the election would not be canceled or postponed.

Has this happened before?

This is the third attack in Britain in as many months. Two weeks ago, a suicide bomber blew himself up at a concert in Manchester, in northwest England, killing 22 people and injuring dozens more. In March, a British convert to Islam ran down people with a vehicle on Westminster Bridge, killing four before fatally stabbing a policeman on Parliament’s grounds. May said Sunday that police had recently foiled five other plots.

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