London Bridge: Cambridge graduate, former student were fatalities in stabbing, police say

LONDON — Three people are dead, including the assailant, after a stabbing attack at London Bridge, the London Metropolitan Police said. The suspect in the incident was fatally shot by London police. Three other people were injured during the attack, police said.

Police shut down London Bridge after the 1:58 p.m. incident, the BBC reported. The incident comes two years after a terrorist attack at the bridge.

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Here are the latest updates:

Update 12:10 p.m. EST Dec. 1: A 23-year-old Cambridge University graduate and a 25-year-old former student were identified by London police as the fatalities in Friday's stabbing at London Bridge, according to the BBC and The Associated Press.

Saskia Jones, 23, of Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire, and Jack Merritt, 25, of Cottenham, Cambridgeshire, were identified in a tweet by the London Metropolitan Police.

Cambridge University's vice-chancellor said Sunday he was "devastated to learn that among the victims were staff and alumni".

Stephen J Toope told the BBC the victims were participating in an event at Fishmongers' Hall on Friday "to mark five years of the university's Learning Together program," which focuses on prisoner rehabilitation.

"What should have been a joyous opportunity to celebrate the achievements of this unique and socially transformative program ... was instead disrupted by an unspeakable criminal act," Toope told the BBC. "Our university condemns this abhorrent and senseless act of terror."

Update 8:15 p.m. EST Nov. 29: Police said the attacker was Usman Khan, a 28-year-old who was released on probation last year after serving six years for terrorism offenses.

Police said Khan was convicted in 2012 of terrorism offenses and released in December 2018 "on license," which means he had to meet certain conditions or face recall to prison. Several British media outlets reported that he was wearing an electronic ankle bracelet.

Basu said Khan was attending a London event hosted by Learning Together — a Cambridge-based organization that works to educate prisoners — when he launched the attack, killing a man and a woman and injuring three others.

The attacker's history will raise difficult questions for Britain's government and security services. Neil Basu, the London police counterterrorism head, said police were not actively looking for any other suspects.

Update 6:15 p.m. EST Nov. 29: British media including BBC and Sky News, citing security sources, said the attacker was an ex-prisoner with links to Islamic extremist groups. The Times of London said he stabbed people at a criminology conference in London that he was attending.

Officials would not confirm those details, but Prime Minister Boris Johnson said he had "long argued" that it was a "mistake to allow serious and violent criminals to come out of prison early."

"It is very important that we get out of that habit and that we enforce the appropriate sentences for dangerous criminals, especially for terrorists, that I think the public will want to see," he said.

Update 3:45 p.m. EST Nov. 29: Metropolitan Police Chief Cressida Dick said at a news conference two stabbing victims died after the London Bridge attack and three injured people were being treated in a hospital.

Update 3:30 p.m. EST Nov. 29:: Police confirmed two people died after a stabbing attack at London Bridge, the BBC reported. Police said three other people were injured but did not release details.

Update 11:50 p.m. EST Nov. 29: In a news conference Friday afternoon, London Mayor Sadiq Khan confirmed a "number of people" were injured in the attack at London Bridge, 'some seriously." Khan also said the suspect shot by police "died at the scene."

Update 11:26 a.m. EST Nov. 29: Police declared Friday's incident at London Bridge a terrorist attack, and the suspect was fatally shot, according to Neil Basu, the assistant commissioner of the London Metropolitan Police. Basu said the man had a "hoax explosive device" on his body when he was shot.

Update 11:10 a.m. EST Nov. 29: London Metropolitan Police tweeted "a number of people" were stabbed in the incident.

Update 11:08 a.m. EST Nov. 29: London Mayor Sadiq Khan tweeted a statement confirming the "horrendous incident" at London Bridge was being treated as terrorist-related.

"I remain in close contact with the Metropolitan Police and am being updated with events," the mayor said.

Update 10:48 a.m. EST Nov. 29: London Bridge spans the Thames River in central London and is a major traffic artery. It was the scene in June 2017 of a terrorist attack, when people identified as sympathizers of the Islamic State rammed pedestrians with their van, then looked for victims to stab, The Washington Post reported. Eight people were killed and 48 injured in the attack on the bridge and at nearby Borough Market, CNN reported.

Update 10:30 a.m. EST Nov. 29: In a tweet, London Metropolitan Police said they are treating the incident "as though it is terror-related." Police added one man was shot by authorities.

Update 10:16 a.m. EST Nov. 29: Buses and other vehicles were abandoned on London Bridge after the incident Friday afternoon, ITV reported. Footage posted from inside a bus on London Bridge showed armed police pointing their weapons at a person who appeared to be lying on the pavement, the network reported.

In a tweet, London Metropolitan Police said they are aware of reports on social media but are withholding comment. "We will release facts when we can -- our info must be accurate," the department tweeted.

Update 10:02 a.m. EST Nov. 29: London police said they had detained a man, the BBC reported. London Ambulance Service has declared a "major incident". ​​​​​

Jinnat Ui Hasan told CNN he was in a meeting in a building near London Bridge when he heard "more than five" gunshots.

London Metropolitan Police have not confirmed shots were fired, the network reported. Public information officials with the police described the situation as "dynamic."

Original report: Both ends of the bridge were closed as emergency vehicles arrived, the network reported.

BBC reporter John McManus said he saw a group of men involved in a fight on the bridge. After police arrived, McManus said he heard shots.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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