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Islamic State claims responsibility for London terror attack
One minute's silence held for attack victims at London Bridge Station
The Islamic State (IS) has reportedly claimed responsibility for the attack in London on Saturday.
BBC reported that the group's news outlet Amaq, on a messaging app called Telegram, said "a security unit of Islamic State fighters carried out the attacks."
Meanwhile, The Telegraph reported that an IS group propaganda outlet exhorted would-be jihadists to carry out vehicle and knife attacks on civilians just hours before three terrorists went on a rampage in the UK capital.
The Telegraph report suggested the message was sent out on an encrypted messaging app and urged attackers to "gain benefit from Ramadan" and "kill the civilians of the Crusaders. Run over them by vehicles."
More Arrests Made as Investigations Continue for London Attack
Anchor:
Meanwhile, more than 10 suspects have been arrested in connection with the attack that left seven people dead and nearly 50 injured in central London on Saturday night.
CRI's London Correspondent Duan Xuelian has more.
Reporter:
Three attackers were shot dead by police after they drove a vehicle into groups of pedestrians in Central London and then started stabbing people with knives. The incident happened in the busy area of London Bridge and nearby Borough Market where large numbers of the public were out and enjoying their Saturday night.
Mark Rowley, assistant commissioner of the Metropolitan Police, said officers fired a total of 50 bullets in order to contain the attack as the suspects were wearing what turned out to be fake explosive vests.
"We're making significant progress in identifying the three attackers and confirming the fact there were no other suspects at the scene when the attack was carried out. Work is undergoing to understand more about them, about their connections and whether they were assisted and supported by anyone else."
Police have also confirmed that about 48 people were injured in the attack and almost half of them were in a critical condition.
This was the third terror attack in the UK in less than three months, following the car and knife attack in Westminster in March and the suicide bombing in Manchester only a fortnight ago.
Responding to the London attack, UK Prime Minister Theresa May said the country is facing a new trend in terror threats.
"As terrorism breeds terrorism and perpetrators are inspired to attack, not only on the basis of carefully constructed plots after years of planning and training, and not even as lone attackers radicalized online, but by copying one another and often using the crudest of means of attack."
She called on the international community including governments and internet companies to work together in tackling the rise in online terrorism.
"We cannot allow this ideology the safe space it needs to breed. Yet that is precisely what the internet, and the big companies that provide internet-based services provide.
We need to work with allied democratic governments to reach international agreements that regulate cyberspace to prevent the spread of extremist and terrorism planning."
The Prime Minister said that major political parties will suspend campaigning activities temporarily in respect of those who were affected by the terror attack, but they will resume in full on the next day and the general election will go on as planned on Thursday June 8.
The UK's terror threat level stands at "Severe", meaning an attack is highly likely.
For CRI, I'm Duan Xuelian in London.
Witnesses recall scenes from London terror attack
A number of people who witnessed London's weekend terror attack have recounted some of the fearful scenes as well as some touching moments.
Ibrahim Dag, a taxi driver, recalled that he saw a young woman calling for help to save her injured boyfriend.
"But the worst one I saw was when I stopped the car on the left hand side. I think it was the guy's girlfriend, she was telling the guy to keep breathing, and she was shouting for the ambulance and stuff, yelling at people to help them. Everyone was, how can I say, in panic, didn't know what was going on."
Local police cordoned off most of the areas in a bid to maintain order and restrict civilians from venturing into the scene of the attack.
Eye-witness Richard Angell was enjoying his time with his friends in a nearby restaurant when security closed down the premises and told them to lock the door and duck and cover.
He said he was very touched by some of the people at the restaurant who made heroic attempts to protect other's safety.
"You just look around and terror is on everybody's face, the fear of what is happening, unfolding in front of them, and I see somebody at the opposite row of table, it turns out to be a pretty heroic by somebody who put our safety before his, which we thank him for. And then moments later, somebody's coming out of the neighboring restaurant, absolutely covered in blood, holding their chest or their neck."
Angell also hailed the heroic act put up by the emergency and ambulance services to save people's lives from the attackers.
The British government has declared a minute's silence set to be held on Tuesday morning to remember the victims.
A woman places flowers on a memorial for victims in London Bridge
Source: TheBeijingHours
