What we know about the London terrorist attack

A stabbing attack left at least three people injured in a south London neighborhood on Sunday, February 2. The police, who intervened on the spot, described the attack as "terrorist". 20 Minutes summarizes what we know about the attack…

• What happened ?

Sunday, the facts took place around 2 p.m. local time and GMT (1 p.m. Paris time) on a busy street in the residential area of ​​Streatham, London. After declaring that armed agents had shot a man who "stabbed several people", the police said that the attack had been "contained". "The circumstances are being studied, the incident has been qualified as terrorist," she said very quickly.

#INCIDENT A man has been shot by armed officers in #Streatham. At this stage it is believed a number of people have been stabbed. The circumstances are being assessed; the incident has been declared as terrorist-related. Please follow @metpoliceuk for updates

A witness told the PA news agency that he saw a man carrying a machete chased by a man in civilian clothes: "He [the first man] was shot. I think I heard three shots, ”said Gulled Bulhan, a 19-year-old student. "I was walking down the street and heard gunshots, two or three. Everyone has stopped, ”Sean Cochrane, 44, who settled in a nearby pub while waiting for the police to let him go home, into the security perimeter, told AFP.

Videos circulating on social networks show armed police surrounding a man lying on the ground on Streatham High Road. The police then back off suddenly and ask the witnesses to do the same, when other emergency vehicles arrive on the scene. However, the London police on Twitter warned about sharing these videos.

• Are there any victims?

Police said three people were injured. The vital prognosis of at least one of them is committed, said the Metropolitan police on Twitter, which recommends avoiding the area of ​​the attack. The other two victims have minor injuries.

A second victim was treated for minor injuries at the scene before being taken to hospital.

A third victim has been taken to hospital - their condition is not life-threatening.

Three people are known to have been injured in the #Streatham attack earlier this afternoon.

One person is at hospital in a life-threatening condition. We are in the process of informing their family.

Dave Chawner, an author and humorist, explained on this same social network that he had seen a person stabbed in Streatham. He was said to have stayed with the victim for 30 minutes before an ambulance arrived.

I had to stay with someone who'd just been #stabbed in #Streatham for 30 minutes before a single ambulance arrived.

I'm just over 1 mile from a hospital - I'm not having a go at anyone, but that's not right

I just hope he made it

• What do we know about the attacker?

"We can confirm that the man who was shot by the police has been declared dead," the police said without further details. For the moment, she has not communicated on her possible motivations.

• How do the authorities react?

Prime Minister Boris Johnson thanked the emergency services, adding that his thoughts were with "the injured and all those affected."

Thank you to all emergency services responding to the incident in Streatham, which the police have now declared as terrorism-related. My thoughts are with the injured and all those affected.

London Mayor Sadiq Khan responded by saying, "The terrorists are trying to divide us and destroy our way of life. In London, we will never let them get there. ”

My statement on today's incident in #Streatham: pic.twitter.com/sDsJlVcyNq

• What is the context of this attack?

London has been the scene of several terrorist attacks in recent years. In late November, a knife attack killed two people at London Bridge, a bridge in the center of the British capital, before the assailant was shot dead by police.

The perpetrator of the attack claimed by Daesh was a former prisoner for terrorist acts released half-time. Since then, the government of Boris Johnson has announced measures to increase penalties for perpetrators and prohibit their early release. In the draft, which is to be studied in Parliament, it is expected that those convicted of acts considered terrorist will be imprisoned for at least 14 years.

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