suspect in the attacks and a likely suicide bomber was shot and killed by police, officials and witnesses said Thursday, July 21. "We can confirm that just after 10am today armed officers shot a male at Stockwell underground station," in south London, New Scotland Yard said in a statement. It happened shortly after rush hour. Eyewitnesses said the suspect, described as an Asian young man, was shot at close range for about five times.
The man, who allegedly carried a rugsack, was shot by at least one officer after he ran away, several reports and witnesses said.
"An Asian looking man was pushed to the ground and 3 officers were around him," a witness told ITN Television. As the incident unfolded, police surrounded a mosque in East London after a bomb alarm there, which came just minutes following the shooting, witnesses and reports said. "I can see not hundreds but I would say dozens of police officers and vehicles around the mosque," another witness told ITN Television by telephone.
No bomb was found, but it added to anxiety among passengers as they recalled their experiences. Several stations were closed down. One passenger, Briony Coetsee told the Press Association, a domestic news agency: "We were on the Tube and then we suddenly heard someone say ‘get out, get out’ and then we heard gunshots." Tube is the word used by Londoners to describe their underground railway system.
Eyewitnesses said sniffer dogs were in the area and police could be seen shouting at people to stay away from the scene as helicopters flew low overhead. It was part of a police hunt to find the bombers of Thursday’s attack. (MORE)
