LONDON — Declaring “enough is enough”, Prime Minister Theresa May vowed on Sunday (June 4) a sweeping review of Britain’s counter-terrorism strategy after three knife-wielding assailants unleashed an assault late on Saturday night in what she described as a new trend of terrorism.

Seven people were killed and dozens more injured as the men sped across London Bridge in a white van, ramming numerous pedestrians, before emerging with large hunting knives and going on a stabbing spree in the capital’s Borough Market, a popular and crowded night spot.

London Metropolitan Police said on Sunday 12 people had been arrested in the Barking district of east London in connection with the attack, which also injured at least 48 people, and raids were continuing there.

Singapore’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) said there have been no reports of Singaporeans directly affected or injured in the attacks.

“Singapore condemns the vicious terrorist attacks that occured in London,” said the MFA in a statement on Sunday (June 4). “There can be no justification for such attacks against innocent civilians.

“We express our deepest condolences to the families of the victims and wish the injured a speedy recovery. We stand in solidarity with the people of the United Kingdom.”

The Singapore High Commission in London has reached out to Singaporeans who are e-registered in London, MFA added. It advised Singaporeans in the UK to keep in touch with their family and friends. Those in need of urgent consular assistance should contact the Singapore High Comission in London, or the MFA duty office.

The attack occurred five days ahead of a parliamentary election and was the third to hit Britain in less than three months. Prime Minister Theresa May said the election would go ahead as planned on Thursday.

“It is time to say enough is enough,” she said in a televised statement outside her Downing Street office, where flags few at half-mast.

“We cannot and must not pretend that things can continue as they are,” Ms May said.

She added that the government would ramp up its counterterrorism efforts to deal with Islamist radicalism at home and to try to reduce or eliminate “the safe spaces it needs to breed,” both on the internet and in British communities, in which she said radical recruiters work.

The government may extend the time of custodial sentences for terrorism suspects, she said, calling for a global effort to “regulate cyberspace,” something that is likely to prove difficult.

The attack began shortly after 10pm Saturday, in what quickly became a terrifying night in Central London, as the sirens of police cruisers and ambulances wailed into the early morning hours.

The police got their first emergency call at 10.08pm and within eight minutes had shot and killed the three assailants, the Metropolitan Police commissioner, Cressida Dick, said on Sunday. It was a remarkably rapid response that was bound to have saved many lives.

Witnesses and police officers described a white van roaring across London Bridge, jumping over the curb and plowing over shrieking pedestrians. The van eventually crashed into a railing, and three men jumped out of the vehicle and ran into the bars and restaurants at Borough Market. The attackers, who had a machete and large knives, began slashing at patrons, witnesses said.

Heavily armed police officers responded to the bridge attack, and more officers rushed to investigate reports of stabbings at the market. The police shot and killed the three attackers there. The three men were wearing what appeared to be canisters or suicide vests, but they were fake, the police said.

Less than two weeks ago, a suicide bomber killed 22 children and adults at a concert by US singer Ariana Grande in Manchester in northern England. In March, in a attack similar to Saturday’s, five people died after a man drove into pedestrians on Westminster Bridge in central London and stabbed a policeman.

“We believe we are experiencing a new trend in the threat we face as terrorism breeds terrorism,” Ms May said.

“Perpetrators are inspired to attack not only on the basis of carefully constructed plots ... and not even as lone attackers radicalised online, but by copying one another and often using the crudest of means of attack.”

She said the series of attacks were not connected in terms of planning and execution, but were inspired by what she called a “single, evil ideology of Islamist extremism” that represented a perversion of Islam and of the truth. She said this ideology had to be confronted both abroad and at home.

“While we have made significant progress in recent years, there is - to be frank - far too much tolerance of extremism in our country,” she said, without elaborating.

US President Donald Trump, taking to Twitter on Sunday, urged the world to stop being “politically correct” in order to ensure public security against terrorism.

London Bridge is a major transport hub and nearby Borough Market is a fashionable warren of alleyways packed with bars and restaurants that is always bustling on a Saturday night.

The area remained cordoned off and patrolled by armed police and counter-terrorism officers on Sunday, with train stations closed. Forensic investigators could be seen working on the bridge, where buses and taxis stood abandoned.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack.

The London Ambulance Service said 48 people had been taken to five hospitals across the capital and a number of others had been treated at the scene for minor injuries.

London Mayor Sadiq Khan said some of those who had been injured were in a critical condition. He said the official threat level in Britain remained at severe, meaning a militant attack is highly likely. It had been raised to critical after the Manchester attack, then lowered again days later.

EIGHT FOREIGN NATIONALS AMONG VICTIMS OF ATTACKS

Foreign nationals were among victims of the London Bridge and Borough Market terror attacks on Saturday night. The first reports came from embassies, which confirmed their citizens had been caught in the attacks. 

Australia: Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull said that one Australian had been injured. Officials were also looking into reports of a second Australian who was caught in the attack. 

“One case has been confirmed and the Australian concerned is in hospital. In the other case, we are continuing to make inquiries,” Mr Turnbull was quoted as saying in The Guardian on Sunday. 

Ms Candice Hedge, 31, was named in Australian media reports as one of the victims. According to reports, Ms Hedge had called her friends and family in Queensland on Sunday evening to let them know she was safe. 

A former work colleague told ABC News that Ms Hedge had called him from London’s St Thomas Hospital to say that she had suffered a knife wound on her neck. She told him that she received stitches and is recovering well as her injuries were not life threatening.

France: The French government confirmed that some of its citizens were injured in the London terror rampage. 

“Four French people were injured and it seems one person was particularly affected,” Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian told France Info radio. 

Spain: Spain’s Foreign Ministry said one Spaniard was among the dozens wounded. A ministry spokeswoman, who requested anonymity, told AP that the man had been taken to a hospital where he was being treated for wounds described as not serious.
 
New Zealand: Mr Oliver Dowling, 32, was critically injured as he suffered multiple stab wounds in the terror rampage. He was stabbed in the face, neck, and stomach, reported The New Zealand Herald. 

Mr Dowling’s sister, Freddy, said in a Facebook post that her brother is recovering after a four-hour surgery. 

“Doctors are very happy with how he’s come out the other side. A massive thank you to the University of London Hospital for their tireless efforts in helping my brother out,” she wrote. 

It is believed that Mr Dowling’s girlfriend, Ms Marie Bondeville, also suffered injuries in the attack. Her fate, however, is still unknown. 

A Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade spokeswoman said they were working to confirm the reports. AGENCIES