Southwark Borough of London Attacks (2017)
The Southwark Borough of London attacks occurred on June 3, 2017, when three assailants drove a van onto London Bridge, deliberately hitting pedestrians. Following the crash, the attackers proceeded to Borough Market, where they violently assaulted individuals in bars and restaurants, using knives. This tragic incident resulted in the deaths of eight people and injuries to over forty others, including four police officers. The attack unfolded rapidly, concluding within eight minutes when armed police confronted and shot the attackers.
This incident was part of a series of terrorist attacks in the UK during the same period and was claimed by ISIS through their Amaq news agency. In the aftermath, there was a noticeable spike in anti-Muslim hate crimes, prompting community leaders to call for unity and resilience against extremism. The authorities took immediate action by conducting raids and increasing security measures, including the installation of concrete barriers on significant public thoroughfares to prevent similar attacks. The events highlighted the challenges of counterterrorism and the ongoing threat posed by extremist groups.
Southwark Borough of London Attacks (2017)
Date: June 3, 2017
Place: London Bridge and Borough Market, Southwark, London
Summary
The Southwark borough of London attacks were a terrorist incident that took place in the area of England’s London borough of Southwark, beginning when a van traveling south on the London Bridge intentionally struck several pedestrians. The driver and two occupants exited the van after crashing, entering the nearby Borough Market district. There, they stabbed dozens of civilians in restaurants and pubs and injured four police officers. Though the attackers were shot dead by police eight minutes after the attack was first reported, eight people were killed and more than forty injured.
Key Events
- March 22, 2017—Four people are killed after a man drives a car into pedestrians on London’s Westminster Bridge before crashing near Westminster Palace and killing a guard; the suspect is shot dead by police.
- May 22, 2017—A suicide bomber detonates a homemade device as people are exiting the Manchester Arena following an Ariana Grande concert, killing twenty-two and injuring hundreds more.
- June 3, 2017—Three men drive a rented van south on the London Bridge, intentionally striking pedestrians before crashing near the popular Borough Market and then stabbing more people. The three attackers are shot and killed by police; eight people are killed and dozens injured in the attack.
- June 4, 2017—Police make at least twelve arrests in connection with the Southwark attacks as part of a raid in London’s Barking and Dagenham borough.
Status
After the Southwark attacks—the third terrorist attack to occur in England within a matter of months—concrete barriers were installed on several bridges in London, with the intention of preventing future vehicle attacks. Counterterrorism units continued to investigate leads regarding anyone who may have been involved with the Southwark attacks, making further arrests in the weeks following the incident. Borough Market, having closed immediately in the aftermath of the attacks, reopened on June 14, 2017. Sadiq Khan, the mayor of London, confirmed that there was an increase in anti-Muslim hate crimes following the attacks.
In-Depth Overview
At around ten o’clock in the evening on June 3, 2017, a white Renault van was observed traveling south across London Bridge. The van was then seen returning, minutes later, to the northbound side of the bridge. It abruptly turned around and sped up while traveling southbound across the bridge, driving onto the sidewalk and into a crowd of pedestrians, killing and injuring several people.
The driver and two passengers then fled on foot after crashing the van into a railing on Borough High Street. They headed toward Stoney Street, where the adjacent Borough Market is located. Patrons of pubs, bistros, and other restaurants threw bottles, mugs, and chairs at the attackers as they rampaged through the area. At one point, a British Transport Police officer was seriously injured after confronting the attackers using only a baton. Within eight minutes of the first emergency calls, armed officers from the Metropolitan Police and City of London Police confronted the three attackers. Faced with an especially dangerous situation, the officers fired as many as fifty bullets at the attackers, hitting a bystander (the injury proved not to be fatal) before killing all three suspects.
The weapons used in the attack were large, ceramic kitchen knives. The attackers also donned what appeared to be explosive vests that were later found to be fake. It was also later discovered that the van contained a number of wine bottles filled with flammable liquid along with blow torches. According to some reports, the terrorists had initially tried to rent a larger vehicle to inflict maximum damage during the attack but had been denied. By June 6, the identities of the three attackers had been announced: Khuram Butt, a British national born in Pakistan who had appeared in an independent documentary about British extremists and had been known to the police but was not considered a threat; Rachid Redouane, a reported chef of Libyan descent born in Morocco; and Youssef Zaghba, an Italian national born in Morocco who was flagged by authorities when it was believed he was attempting to travel to Syria to possibly connect with the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) terrorist group but was still allowed into the United Kingdom.
The Southwark terror incident left eight people dead and more than forty injured. In an effort to establish whether any others were connected to the attack, counterterrorism units from the Metropolitan Police conducted a raid in the borough of Barking and Dagenham the next day, eventually arresting twelve individuals in the neighborhood where at least one of the attackers had reportedly lived. Also that day, ISIS’s Amaq news agency released a statement in which ISIS claimed responsibility for the attack. Prime Minister Theresa May, meanwhile, condemned the attacks and called for increased efforts to combat extremist propaganda and recruiting online as well as within England.
Key Figures
Khuram Butt: Pakistan-born British citizen known to police and suspected of extremist views who participated in the terrorist attacks in the Southwark borough.
Rachid Redouane: Man reportedly born in Morocco and of Libyan descent who helped carry out the terrorist attacks in the Southwark borough.
Youssef Zaghba: Italian national who helped carry out the terrorist attacks in the Southwark borough.
Bibliography
Dodd, V. (2017, June 10). London Bridge: More arrests as police tell how terrorists wanted to use truck. The Guardian. Retrieved from https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2017/jun/10/worse-terror-attack-on-london-bridge-foiled-by-chance-police-say
Knapton, S., Evans, M., Harley, N., Yorke, H., Farmer, B., & Mendick, R. (2017, June 6). Khuram Butt, Rachid Redouane and Youssef Zaghba named: Everything we know about the London Bridge terrorists. The Telegraph. Retrieved from http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2017/06/05/ringleader-london-bridge-terror-attack-named-khuram-butt/
Levett, C., Sheehy, F., & Cage, F. (2017, June 4). A visual guide to the London Bridge attacks. The Guardian. Retrieved from https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2017/jun/04/visual-guide-to-london-bridge-attacks
London attack: What we know so far. (2017, June 12). BBC.Retrieved from http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-london-40147164
Within eight minutes suspects were dead: Timeline of the London Bridge attack. (2017, June 4). The Guardian. Retrieved from https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2017/jun/04/within-eight-minutes-attackers-were-dead-timeline-of-the-london-bridge-attack