London: The British police have said that several people have been stabbed near London Bridge in the UK. According to reports, a man has been detained and the area has been cordoned off following the attack.
The news came after witnesses reported hearing gunshots in the area. Police had shot the apparent attacker. The Metropolitan Police force said officers were called on Friday afternoon to a stabbing at premises near to London Bridge.
They say a man has been detained by police. We believe several people have been injured. London Ambulance Service said it had crews on the scene.
Police could be seen ushering people away from the northern end of the bridge, which links the city’s business district with the south bank of the River Thames. Cars and buses on the busy bride were at a standstill with a white truck stopped diagonally across the lanes.
British Transport Police said London Bridge station, one of the city’s busiest rail hubs, was closed and trains were not stopping there.
The city of London Police, the force responsible for the business district, urged people to stay away from the area.
London Bridge was the scene of a June 2017 attack when Islamic State-inspired attackers ran down people on the bridge, killing two, before stabbing several people to death in nearby Borough Market.
In March 2017, an attacker fatally struck four people with a car on nearby Westminster Bridge then fatally stabbed a police officer before security forces shot and killed him in a courtyard outside Parliament.