Face-to-face with terrorists in suicide vests, bakers armed with brooms and mystery man on a Santander bike: Astonishing video of London Bridge attack revealed
Newly-released footage gives extraordinary glimpse of the courage shown by those caught up in atrocity that left eight dead
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Your support makes all the difference.Astonishing new footage shows the moment the three London Bridge terror attackers were confronted by unarmed police – and a baker with a broom.
The video captures officers and members of the public facing down the Isis recruits as they rampaged through the capital’s Borough Market armed with knives and wearing apparent suicide vests.
Eight people were killed and another 48 injured during the atrocity on 3 June 2017.
An inquest found on Tuesday that the three attackers, Khuram Butt, Rachid Redouane and Youssef Zaghba, were lawfully killed by responding armed officers.
But the newly-released mobile footage – recorded by Paul Clarke, a visitor to the market – gives an extraordinary glimpse of the courage shown by those caught up in the attack before the armed units arrived.
At one point, two bakers, carrying nothing more than a broom and two plastic trays, can be seen going after the attackers. Shortly after, a man who has never been identified rides a Santander bike, appearing to monitor where the terrorists are going in a bid to warn others.
In perhaps the most chilling moment, all three attackers suddenly appear around a corner doubling back on those trying to stop them. “Get Trojan, get Trojan,” the officers can be heard shouting – code for firearms units.
When they arrive, gunshots can be heard out of picture as the terrorists are finally killed. A police van is seen rolling into discarded restaurant tables in the street because no-one has had time to put the handbrake on.
The footage was released after being used at the inquests of the three attackers at the Old Bailey this week.
Among those seen in it are police constables Sam Balfour, Bartek Tchorzewski and Ian Rae.
Speaking about his decision to confront the attackers, PC Rae, 51, told the hearing: “To be quite honest I felt that I needed to do something.
“I did not have time to think about the risk involved. I just went and did what I thought was the best thing for everyone.”
PC Tchorzewski, 36, added: “We were just thinking about stopping them. Assume the worst and you try to think what you may encounter and what we will do.”
It was only later the suicide vests were found to be dummies.
The new inquest followed separate hearings into the victims’ deaths, where relatives criticised the security services for failing to prevent the atrocity after years of monitoring Butt.
Those inquests, held without a jury, concluded victims Xavier Thomas, 45, Chrissy Archibald, 30, Sara Zelenak, 21, James McMullan, 32, Kirsty Boden, 28, Alexandre Pigeard, 26, Sebastien Belanger, 36, and Ignacio Echeverria, 39, were unlawfully killed by the attackers.