**Update 11/30**
The man who carried out Friday’s stabbing attack at London Bridge was a former prisoner convicted of terrorism offenses.
The attacker, named by police as 28-year-old Usman Khan, was out of prison on license at the time of the attack, in which a man and a woman were killed and three others were injured.
Khan was shot and killed by officers after members of the public restrained him.
**
The stabbing sent law enforcement racing to the key thoroughfare where auto and pedestrian traffic stopped amid the “major incident.”
https://twitter.com/wolfgangert/status/1200425549975490560?s=20
Officials said as a precaution the incident was being treated as terror-related and also confirmed a man was shot. A suspect shot by police at the bridge has also died, according to Vikram Dodd of the Guardian.
Authorities reported “a number of people have been injured,” but it was unclear what the injuries were. Scotland Yard earlier said first responders were called to “a stabbing at premises near to London Bridge” just before 2 p.m. London time.
Witnesses reported hearing gunshots and Sky News reported police shot the apparent attacker.
Law enforcement officials said “a man has been detained by police” but it was unclear if that was the same person who officers were seen subduing in the video.
*** This is a developing story, check back for updates ***
ANARCHY IN THE UK: British Criminals Now ‘Stealing Knives’ from Police Amnesty Bins
Local criminals found new ways to obtain knives and other weapons across the United Kingdom this week; with a stash of the deadly contraband being reportedly taken from police amnesty bins outside the capital.
“Avon and Somerset Constabulary installed the ‘knife surrender bin’ following a 52 per cent spike in knife crime across the force area in the past year,” reports the Somerset County Gazette. “But a day later the bin in Weston-super-Mare was broken into and the knives were taken.”
Haul of knives stolen from police knife amnesty bin. (Via @CountyGazette) https://t.co/7TF04DcK3h
— Jason Evans 🏴 🇪🇺 (@EvansTheCrime) March 30, 2019
The incident comes as officials across the UK move to clampdown on violent crime.
The spike in homicides brought London’s murder rate higher than New York City’s for the first time in recorded history.
Read the full report here.
ANARCHY IN THE UK: London Police Increase Patrols After Four People Murdered Over the Weekend
London’s Metropolitan Police Department ramped-up security patrols across the UK capital Monday; dispatching more officers after a weekend of violence left four people dead and more injured.
“The murders of at least four people in as many days have triggered a massive investigation by London police and an increase of patrols across the British capital in a bid to stem the eruption of violence,” reports Fox News.
We have been using a number of operational tactics in targeted locations to prevent further violence and to provide reassurance to the communities in those areas,” said Deputy Assistant Matthew Twist.
“Twist’s update comes as London police race to investigate a spate of deaths since Friday, when, in separate incidents, an 18-year-old man was fatally stabbed and 19-year-old Eniola Aliko was shot dead,” adds Fox.
The bloodshed comes days after an English country introduced a new program to replace “kitchen knives” with “blunt-edged utensils” to crackdown on violence.
“Blunt utensils will replace kitchen knives in the homes of victims of domestic violence. It’s hoped it will help save lives – what do you think?” posted British news channel ITV.
Blunt utensils will replace kitchen knives in the homes of victims of domestic violence. It's hoped it will help save lives – what do you think ? https://t.co/Nzzetda9nM pic.twitter.com/837UHM5wxf
— ITV News Central (@ITVCentral) June 12, 2019
“Nottinghamshire Police is piloting a scheme where victims of domestic violence will have their kitchen knives replaced with blunt utensils, to help stop partners attacking them in their own home,” reports ITV.
“We are trialing it to see if it makes a difference. Sometimes you have to trial things to see if they work. Anything that stops someone being seriously injured is a good idea,” said Nottinghamshire Police Superintendent Matt McFarlane.
A UK Member of Parliament demanded strict new policies to crackdown on violent crime throughout the United Kingdom earlier this year; calling for the implementation of a “GPS tracker” in every knife sold in the country.
“Every knife sold in the UK should have a gps tracker fitted in the handle. It’s time we had a national database like we do with guns. If you’re carrying it around you had better have a bloody good explanation, obvious exemptions for fishing etc,” tweeted MP Scott Mann.
Every knife sold in the UK should have a gps tracker fitted in the handle. It’s time we had a national database like we do with guns. If you’re carrying it around you had better have a bloody good explanation, obvious exemptions for fishing etc.
— Scott Mann MP (@scottmann4NC) March 14, 2019
Mann’s comments come as the UK struggles to clamp down on knife crime across London and beyond as homicide rates soar to record levels across the country.
London’s murder rate topped New York City’s for the first time in recorded history last year, with knife crime the leading cause of homicide across the United Kingdom.
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