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London attack: Sadiq Khan urges police to explain why they didn't act on attackers – live London attack: Sadiq Khan urges police to explain why they didn't act on attackers – live
(35 minutes later)
9.32am BST
09:32
The Dean of Southwark Cathedral, Andrew Nunn, is offering to help to people still locked out of their homes in the police cordon to the south-west of London Bridge.
If you are living within the police cordon around @Southwarkcathed please let me know if there is anything we can do for you.
As of 8.15am Tuesday the police cordon at #Londonbridge remains the same as yesterday. pic.twitter.com/ZybrXf10NJ
9.26am BST
09:26
The security services in Pakistan have searched a restaurant of one of Khuram Butt’s relatives in the city of Jhelum, 60 miles south east of Islamabad, the Telegraph reports.
One official at the scene told The Telegraph that British officials had said that they suspected Khuram Butt had been radicalised in the UK rather than in Pakistan, but that they were carrying out searches of relatives’ houses as precaution.
“Our British counterparts told us they don’t think he was radicalised here, and we think it is probably more likely that he was trained in Syria. But we are searching the homes of any relatives connected to him and we are tracing all telephone calls made by family members,” the official said.
9.12am BST
09:12
Sadiq Khan has stepped up his war of words with Donald Trump, accusing the US president of making “ignorant” comments about Muslims that play into the hands of extremists.
Appearing on ITV’s Good Morning Britain, Khan said: “There are millions of Muslims around the world who love America, me included. And to play into the so-called Isis narrative that western liberal values are incompatible with Islam is ignorant.”
Khan said he was too busy to respond to Donald Trump’s tweets.
Pathetic excuse by London Mayor Sadiq Khan who had to think fast on his "no reason to be alarmed" statement. MSM is working hard to sell it!
At least 7 dead and 48 wounded in terror attack and Mayor of London says there is "no reason to be alarmed!"
He added: “We are not kids in play ground. He’s the president of the United States. I’m too busy to respond to his tweets. Isn’t he busy?”
The mayor added: “I’m not in a war with Donald Trump.”
He added: “It takes two to Tango. I’m not Tangoing with this guy. I’ve got better things to do. From Saturday till now my focus has been dealing the aftermath of the horrific attack, working with the police, the security services, the government. That’s why I’ve not responded to the tweets from Donald Trump.”
But Khan repeated his objection to the government’s invitation to host Trump on a state visit.
State visits are given to leaders of countries who are respected and have done their dues and have earned a state visit. In the circumstances where there is the Muslim ban in place ... where he changed the refugee programme, I thought it was inappropriate and premature.
Some of the messages of support I have received, not just from US mayors and politicians, but ordinary Americans have raised my spirits.
8.53am BST8.53am BST
08:5308:53
Sam JonesSam Jones
Spain has urged the UK to speed up the formal identification of the seven people killed in the attack amid mounting fears for 39-year-old HSBC employee Ignacio Echeverría.Spain has urged the UK to speed up the formal identification of the seven people killed in the attack amid mounting fears for 39-year-old HSBC employee Ignacio Echeverría.
According to the Spanish daily El País, the country’s foreign minister, Alfonso Dastis, spoke to his British counterpart, Boris Johnson, on Monday night to ask for efforts to identify the bodies of the victims of the attack to be speeded up so as not to “add to the pain and anguish of the families”.According to the Spanish daily El País, the country’s foreign minister, Alfonso Dastis, spoke to his British counterpart, Boris Johnson, on Monday night to ask for efforts to identify the bodies of the victims of the attack to be speeded up so as not to “add to the pain and anguish of the families”.
Johnson apparently told Dastis that procedures needed to be followed to prevent misidentification.Johnson apparently told Dastis that procedures needed to be followed to prevent misidentification.
The paper said that the sister of the missing Spaniard, 39-year-old HSBC employee Ignacio Echeverría, had been unable to see any of the victims’ bodies so far.The paper said that the sister of the missing Spaniard, 39-year-old HSBC employee Ignacio Echeverría, had been unable to see any of the victims’ bodies so far.
Echeverría’s father, Joaquín, said he feared the worst.Echeverría’s father, Joaquín, said he feared the worst.
“We’ve had no news and at the moment, given that the wounded have been identified, I’m very pessimistic.”“We’ve had no news and at the moment, given that the wounded have been identified, I’m very pessimistic.”
He added: “By now you would have thought he’d have been identified and it seems he’s not among the wounded.”He added: “By now you would have thought he’d have been identified and it seems he’s not among the wounded.”
UpdatedUpdated
at 9.01am BSTat 9.01am BST
8.33am BST8.33am BST
08:3308:33
The Australian media has named 28-year-old Kirsty Boden as one of the seven victims of the attack.The Australian media has named 28-year-old Kirsty Boden as one of the seven victims of the attack.
Boden, from Loxton, South Australia, was working as a health professional in London, according to 9 News Australia.Boden, from Loxton, South Australia, was working as a health professional in London, according to 9 News Australia.
It says:It says:
It is unclear whether Ms Boden was attacked at London Bridge or during the rampage that followed in the Borough Market area.It is unclear whether Ms Boden was attacked at London Bridge or during the rampage that followed in the Borough Market area.
There are unconfirmed reports Ms Boden may have been attacked while going to the aid of another person.There are unconfirmed reports Ms Boden may have been attacked while going to the aid of another person.
It is understood she is the previously unidentified Australian that prime minister Malcolm Turnbull referred to during a press conference this morning.It is understood she is the previously unidentified Australian that prime minister Malcolm Turnbull referred to during a press conference this morning.
UpdatedUpdated
at 8.40am BSTat 8.40am BST
8.20am BST8.20am BST
08:2008:20
Amelia GentlemanAmelia Gentleman
If London normality means grabbing an umbrella and putting on a winter coat in June, then normality has returned for commuters coming out of London Bridge tube station this morning.If London normality means grabbing an umbrella and putting on a winter coat in June, then normality has returned for commuters coming out of London Bridge tube station this morning.
Borough Market remains cordoned off, its shops and restaurants inaccessible and closed, and police say it is not expected to reopen today.Borough Market remains cordoned off, its shops and restaurants inaccessible and closed, and police say it is not expected to reopen today.
The tube station exits leading towards Borough High Street are closed, and Transport for London has been advising passengers to avoid London Bridge tube, because of expected congestion.The tube station exits leading towards Borough High Street are closed, and Transport for London has been advising passengers to avoid London Bridge tube, because of expected congestion.
But a steady stream of rush-hour workers are emerging from the station, heads down into the wind and driving rain, barely pausing to examine the huge pile of flowers laid by the traffic lights at the end of London Bridge, opposite the Barrowboy and Banker pub where some victims were stabbed on Saturday.But a steady stream of rush-hour workers are emerging from the station, heads down into the wind and driving rain, barely pausing to examine the huge pile of flowers laid by the traffic lights at the end of London Bridge, opposite the Barrowboy and Banker pub where some victims were stabbed on Saturday.
UpdatedUpdated
at 8.39am BSTat 8.39am BST
8.14am BST8.14am BST
08:1408:14
Transport for London has confirmed that one of the attackers, Khuram Butt, worked as trainee customer services assistant for six months last year.Transport for London has confirmed that one of the attackers, Khuram Butt, worked as trainee customer services assistant for six months last year.
UpdatedUpdated
at 8.17am BSTat 8.17am BST
8.10am BST8.10am BST
08:1008:10
Lisa O'CarrollLisa O'Carroll
Residents in London Bridge have expressed frustration at the lack of information from police about the prospect of them returning to their homes.Residents in London Bridge have expressed frustration at the lack of information from police about the prospect of them returning to their homes.
One resident, who spoke to the Guardian, said:One resident, who spoke to the Guardian, said:
“We understand the sensitivities of this and that it is a crime scene but it seems incredible that in all the police response not one part of it is liaison with local residents.“We understand the sensitivities of this and that it is a crime scene but it seems incredible that in all the police response not one part of it is liaison with local residents.
“We’ve been locked out since Saturday. Police at the cordon told us to go to Southwark council which is just useless as the council know nothing.“We’ve been locked out since Saturday. Police at the cordon told us to go to Southwark council which is just useless as the council know nothing.
“We have gone to our local councillor and our local MP and none of them can get any information.“We have gone to our local councillor and our local MP and none of them can get any information.
“They can open London bridge and let commuters get on with their lives, but what about us? I have a flight to an important business meeting on Wednesday and can’t even go home to get my passport.”“They can open London bridge and let commuters get on with their lives, but what about us? I have a flight to an important business meeting on Wednesday and can’t even go home to get my passport.”
8.07am BST8.07am BST
08:0708:07
Vikram DoddVikram Dodd
Government cuts to police funding have damaged attempts to prevent attacks, Britain’s former counter-terrorism chief has said.Government cuts to police funding have damaged attempts to prevent attacks, Britain’s former counter-terrorism chief has said.
Robert Quick, who led the counter-terrorism effort from 2008-09, told the Guardian that intelligence from communities about people supporting violent jihad had been lost.Robert Quick, who led the counter-terrorism effort from 2008-09, told the Guardian that intelligence from communities about people supporting violent jihad had been lost.
Quick, who served as Scotland Yard’s assistant commissioner in charge of the counter-terrorism command, said: “Counter-terrorism funding is ringfenced but cuts to the general policing budget has impacted on neighbourhood policing teams in many parts of the country including London.Quick, who served as Scotland Yard’s assistant commissioner in charge of the counter-terrorism command, said: “Counter-terrorism funding is ringfenced but cuts to the general policing budget has impacted on neighbourhood policing teams in many parts of the country including London.
“This has reduced the capacity of the police to work in communities building relationships and trust to in turn generate community-based intelligence about persons of concern.”“This has reduced the capacity of the police to work in communities building relationships and trust to in turn generate community-based intelligence about persons of concern.”
Labour has said the Conservative decision to cut police numbers since 2010 has left Britain vulnerable.Labour has said the Conservative decision to cut police numbers since 2010 has left Britain vulnerable.
7.47am BST7.47am BST
07:4707:47
Harriet SherwoodHarriet Sherwood
More than 130 imams and Muslim religious leaders have said they will refuse to say funeral prayers for the perpetrators of Saturday’s attack in London.More than 130 imams and Muslim religious leaders have said they will refuse to say funeral prayers for the perpetrators of Saturday’s attack in London.
In a highly unusual move, Muslim religious figures from across the country and from different schools of Islam said their pain at the suffering of the victims and their families led them to refuse to perform the traditional Islamic prayer – a ritual normally performed for every Muslim regardless of their actions. They called on others to do the same.In a highly unusual move, Muslim religious figures from across the country and from different schools of Islam said their pain at the suffering of the victims and their families led them to refuse to perform the traditional Islamic prayer – a ritual normally performed for every Muslim regardless of their actions. They called on others to do the same.
They expressed “shock and utter disgust at these cold-blooded murders”, adding:They expressed “shock and utter disgust at these cold-blooded murders”, adding:
We will not perform the traditional Islamic funeral prayer over the perpetrators and we also urge fellow imams and religious authorities to withdraw such a privilege. This is because such indefensible actions are completely at odds with the lofty teachings of Islam.We will not perform the traditional Islamic funeral prayer over the perpetrators and we also urge fellow imams and religious authorities to withdraw such a privilege. This is because such indefensible actions are completely at odds with the lofty teachings of Islam.
UpdatedUpdated
at 7.59am BSTat 7.59am BST
7.47am BST
07:47
Sam Jones
More than 48 hours after he was last seen, there is still no word on the missing Spaniard Ignacio Echeverría. The 39-year-old HSBC worker has been hailed as a hero after apparently using his skateboard to take on the attackers and defend an injured woman.
His sister has been going from hospital to hospital in a bid to find him, while his employers are said to have hired a detective to help the family with the search.
According to reports, his parents are due to fly to London today.His family said yesterday that they had been asked to provide copies of his fingerprints, something his brother described as “not a good sign”.
The delay in ascertaining what happened to Echeverría also appears to be frustrating the Spanish government. On Monday night, the foreign minister, Alfonso Dastis, told reporters: “We’re pushing the British authorities because, frankly, this isn’t the kind of thing that can go on and on.”
Updated
at 7.57am BST
7.45am BST
07:45
Sadiq Khan says police have questions to answers
Matthew Weaver
The London mayor, Sadiq Khan, has urged the police and security services to respond questions about they knew about Khuram Butt and why they did not act on warnings about his behaviour.
Speaking on BBC Breakfast, Khan said: “Not unreasonably, these questions are being asked. I’m sure the police will look into what they knew, what they could have done, what they did do and if anything could have been done differently.”
Khan acknowledged that there were thousands of potential suspects under consideration by the police. But he added: “What we need to do is make sure that we ask these questions and the police and the security services respond and answer the legitimate questions we all have.”
The Labour mayor also warned that London would be more dangerous under Conservative government budget cuts, which could lead to 12,000 fewer police officers.
He said: “The Met police service has lost over the last seven years £600m. As brilliant as they are, that’s a big big cut. Over the next four years the current Conservative government has plans to cut a further £400m and on top of that they are changing the police funding formula, which means we could lose a further £700m. That’s £1.7bn. We’ve worked out that if they carry through with their plans we could be losing between 3,000 and 12,000 additional officers. That’s not sustainable. There’s no doubt fewer police officers means we are in more danger.”
Khan also criticised Theresa May’s decision to invite Donald Trump on a state visit, amid his continuing spat with the president. Khan said:
When Theresa May first invited him on a state visit to our country at a time when he was proposing a travel ban on Muslims, changing the American policy on refugees, I said it was inappropriate for us to be rolling out the red carpet for Donald Trump. Nothing has changed my mind.
Of course we should have cordial relations with our closest ally ... but you call them out when they are wrong and there are so many things Donald Trump is wrong about. In those circumstances I’m not in favour of a state visit.
Updated
at 8.06am BST
7.07am BST
07:07
Little has been made public so far about Rachid Redouane, who police say was not known to them before Saturday’s attack. But Khuram Butt was on the radar of counter-terrorism investigators, as the Guardian reports:
Butt went by the name Abu Zaitun and was known widely as Abs by friends at the gymnasium where he trained in weightlifting and at the two mosques where he worshipped. He had two young children, a son aged about three and a recently born baby, with a woman described locally as his wife. He reportedly had jobs on the London transport network and in a fast food restaurant and lived a couple of miles from his mother in Plaistow, east London.
In recent years his fundamentalist approach to religion repeatedly caused concern among people who knew him. He associated with al-Muhajiroun, the banned extremist group whose leader, Anjem Choudary, has been linked to the recruitment of more than 100 British terrorism suspects.
Community sources in east London active in working against al-Muhajiroun and the groups that succeeded it, said Butt was asked not to enter the east London mosque after concerns about his activities. One source at the mosque, on Whitechapel Road, said that after the 2017 general election was called he was seen handing out flyers telling Muslims they should not vote or participate in the democratic process. In 2015, he was asked not to enter the mosque having tried to urge worshippers inside the building not to vote.
He was also forcibly ejected from a Barking mosque, Jabir bin Zayd, after he repeatedly interrupted the imam shouting “only God is in charge” and refusing to stop. It is believed he was also urging people not to vote at that mosque ahead of the 2015 poll. It was around this time that the police opened their investigation into Butt.
He also featured in a Channel 4 documentary about British jihadis broadcast last year, which showed he was involved in an altercation with police after a black flag was unfurled in Regent’s Park in London.
Updated
at 7.14am BST
6.57am BST
06:57
My colleague Hannah Ellis-Petersen was at the vigil on Monday evening for the victims of the London attack:
Standing in the crowd, bearing the banner with the sign “Not In My Name”, was Qasim Chowdhury, 38, who said the Muslim community of London was shocked at the attack. He said it had been important for him to see Sadiq Khan emphasising how those who carried out the stabbings in the busy restaurants and pubs of Borough Market were not representative of the values of Islam.
“This was a barbaric act, a heinous crime, and there’s no place for that in our religion,” said Chowdhury. “If you look at the meaning of Islam, it means peace, so for Islam to be associated with these types of crimes, these murderous acts, it has really shaken our whole community.”
He said he and many around him were worried about how terror and fear might change the welcoming spirit of London. “I never for once thought I would be witnessing this in my life,” said Chowdhury, who grew up in the city. “Islam is unfortunately now on the back foot because of the actions of a few.”
One family of three, who stood in the crowd sobbing and asked not to be named, said simply that they had lost someone in the Manchester terror attacks and had come to London to show “solidarity and strength”.
Updated
at 7.06am BST
6.40am BST
06:40
Peter Walker
The London Bridge attack has put issues of security and counter-terrorism at the top of some voters’ election concerns, according to focus group work carried out for the Guardian, although the issue does not seem to be favouring either major party.
Comments from undecided voters in six key constituencies following the attack that killed seven people on Saturday night are notably different to those after the Manchester bombing, according to BritainThinks, which has been carrying out the work with the Guardian.
Tom Clarkson, the associate director of BritainThinks, said a number of those asked on Sunday what the most important issues would be affecting their vote pointed to security:
While the Manchester Arena attack prompted an outpouring of shock and disgust among the swing voters participating in the research, Saturday night’s terrible events have prompted far more comments around the political response to the threat of terrorism.
Many swing voters have suggested that security and terrorism are now the most important issue determining how they will vote on Thursday – and there now appears a greater belief that this is an ongoing challenge for the country, rather than just a terrible one-off event.
Updated
at 6.53am BST
6.28am BST
06:28
Fears are growing for missing Brisbane woman Sara Zelenak, who became separated from friends at the scene of the London Bridge terrorism attack, Australian Associated Press has reported.
A Facebook post by a family friend shared hundreds of times on Monday appealed for information about the 21-year-old, saying she usually rang her mother daily.
Zelenak’s stepfather, Mark Wallace, said from Brisbane that British authorities had been unable to shed any light on where she was following the attack on Saturday night UK time.
“I feel terrible, I can’t think,” he told News Corp. “I’ve contacted every hospital in London but they can’t give out patient details or even tell us if she has been admitted.” Wallace said Zelenak’s mother, Julie Wallace, was flying to London to try to find her daughter. Zelenak had moved to London in March to work as an au pair.
Updated
at 6.54am BST
6.17am BST
06:17
The Metropolitan police confirmed on Monday night that all of those arrested on Sunday in connection with the attack have been released without charge. Twelve people had been detained but have now been freed:
A 38-year-old woman arrested at address 1 in Barking.
A 28-year-old man arrested at address 2 in Barking.
A 52-year-old man arrested at address 2 in Barking.
A 55-year-old man arrested at address 2 in Barking.
A 27-year-old man arrested at address 2 in Barking.
A 55-year-old man arrested at address 2 in Barking.
A 49-year-old woman arrested at address 2 in Barking.
A 60-year-old woman arrested at address 2 in Barking.
A 19-year-old woman arrested at address 2 in Barking.
A 27-year-old female arrested at address 2 in Barking.
A 24-year-old female arrested at address 2 in Barking.
A 53-year-old woman arrested at address 2 in Barking.
Updated
at 6.58am BST
6.06am BST
06:06
A 23-year-old man arrested in the Chorlton area of Manchester the day after the arena bombing was also released overnight without charge.
Greater Manchester police did not name him, but the description matches that of Ismail Abedi, the brother of suicide bomber Salman Abedi.
5.52am BST
05:52
The Metropolitan police says officers have been conducting a search at an address in Ilford, east London, overnight and into this morning.
It says nobody has been arrested.
5.34am BST
05:34
What we know so far
Claire Phipps
Police have identified two of the three London Bridge attackers as Khuram Butt and Rachid Redouane. The third perpetrator has not been named.
Officials confirmed that Butt, 27, who was born in Pakistan but brought up in the UK, was known to police and had been investigated in 2015. He had appeared in a Channel 4 documentary, The Jihadis Next Door, and had been reported to the anti-terrorism hotline for extremism.
Butt was also linked to al-Muhajiroun, the banned extremist group whose leader, Anjem Choudary, was jailed last year for encouraging support for Islamic State.
But his case was ranked in the “lower echelons” of counter-terrorism investigations and he was not suspected of planning an attack.
Redouane, 30, who reportedly claimed to be Moroccan and Libyan, was not known to police or MI5.
Twelve people – seven women and five men – who were arrested at two properties in Barking on Sunday were released without charge on Monday evening, police said.
Hundreds of people gathered in London on Monday evening in a vigil for the seven people killed and dozens wounded.
Two of those killed have been named as Christine Archibald, from Canada, and Londoner James McMullan. A French citizen, as yet unidentified, is also known to have died.
Others remain missing, including 21-year-old Australian Sara Zelenak.
There are 36 people still being treated in hospital for their injuries; 18 of them are in critical care.
Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn and Liberal Democrat leader Tim Farron have continued to criticise the prime minister, Theresa May, over cuts to police numbers.
A book of condolence for the victims opens today at 9am at Southwark council headquarters in Tooley Street; it will move to Southwark Cathedral once the police cordon around the site of the Borough Market attack is lifted.
There will be a minute’s silence across the UK at 11am.
Updated
at 5.40am BST