London terror attack – live: Man wearing hoax suicide vest shot dead by police after three injured in ‘Islamist-related’ stabbings in Streatham

This is The Independent's live coverage of what police are calling a terror-related attack in London.

Attack was 'terrorist-related', Metropolitan Police say

The Independent's Michael Owens is at the scene in Streatham. He says a long stretch of the high street is cordoned off. Traffic is being diverted and passengers have reportedly been forced off buses.

One witness, named Alicia, told him: "I was in a cafe when seven to eight police cars came past in the space of a couple of minutes. Ambulances arrived a couple of minutes later and I saw an air ambulance and the police helicopter go overhead.

"Then, when I left the cafe, police had cordoned off a long stretch of the road. There were armed police officers manning the cordon passengers were being forced off buses. Everyone was saying someone had been shot by police near Boots."

Images of the man shot by police appear to show him wearing what looks like a suicide bomb vest.

The London Bridge attackers in 2017 and 2019 were found to be wearing fake bomb vests.

Purported witness claims to have seen man with machete and silver canisters on his chest being chased by plainclothes police

A 19-year-old student from Streatham, claimed to have witnessed the shooting.

"I was crossing the road when I saw a man with a machete and silver canisters on his chest being chased by what I assume was an undercover police officer - as they were in civilian clothing," he told the PA news agency.

"The man was then shot. I think I heard three gun shots but I can't quite remember. After that I ran into the library to get to safety. From the library I saw a load of ambulances and armed police officers arrive on the scene."

Alleged attacker pronounced dead

'A number of patients' being treated after incident

The exact number of people injured in the incident is not yet known, with emergency services saying "a number of" people are being treated at the scene.

“We are working closely with the other emergency services and are treating a number of patients at the scene,” London Ambulance Service strategic commander Graham Norton.

The Metropolitan Police said they believed two people had been injured.

"We saw a guy with a huge knife, we heard the shouting, and saw police chase him down the street – and the police were telling him to put the machete or the big knife, to put it down, and then they shot him. He didn’t put it down," Timothy Hudson, a local resident coming from a church in Brixton told The Independent.

"When we drove up the street we saw a body on the ground, we presumed he had stabbed."

The mayor of London has issued a statement thanking the emergency services, saying: "They truly are the best of us."

"Terrorists seek to divide us and destroy our way of life – here in London we will never let them succeed," Sadiq Khan said.

The prime minister also thanked those in the emergency services dealing with the incident and said his thoughts were with all those affected.

'I could see blood on the floor everywhere'

"I was walking out the chicken shop and heard gunshots, I could see blood on the floor everywhere," Malik, a barber who works on Streatham High Road, told The Independent​.

"There's a lady outside of a pharmacy who had been stabbed in the back with a knife, everyone was helping her, a man came out the car.

"I could see a man coming out of a blue car. This man's driving it, there are women in the car who are crying. He gets out, he's injured and bleeding.

"Everyone was helping the man, then the police turned up and told everyone to move back and move away."