Donald Trump doubles down on Sadiq Khan criticism in wake of London Bridge attack: 'Pathetic excuse by Mayor'

Donald Trump has doubled down on his criticism of Sadiq Khan’s response to the terror attacks in London over the weekend, attacking him for a statement telling people that there is “no reason to be alarmed”.

Contrary to the US President’s portrayal of the statement, the London Mayor had actually said that people in the capital shouldn’t be alarmed by the visibly increased police presence in the city. Mr Khan did not tell people that they should not be alarmed by the attacks.

Mr Khan said that Mr Trump had “deliberately” taken his comments “out of context”, which the US President tweeted was a “pathetic excuse”. The media covering the London attack were “working hard to sell” Mr Khan’s “excuse”, Mr Trump wrote.

The President sent out a series of tweets following the attack in which he called for the implementation of his travel ban, even though it was not immediately clear how, if at all, a ban would be able to stop a similar attack in the US. Those tweets berating Mr Khan have been widely condemned, and are in contrast to a statement from the US embassy in London.

“I commend the strong leadership of @MayorofLondon as he leads the city forward after this heinous attack,” a tweet attributed to Lewis Lukens, the US ambassador to the UK, read.

Mr Trump’s tirade on Twitter attacked the US courts that have so far blocked both of his travel bans, criticised his own Justice Department for not sticking with his original travel ban, and said that his administration was practising “extreme vetting” of, presumably, refugees seeking entry into the US.

At least seven people were killed and nearly 50 people were wounded over the weekend when a terrorists drove a van through pedestrians on London Bridge, and went on a rampage through Borough Market with knives.

Police have since detained a number of people related to the attacks, which Isis claimed responsibility for.

As London sought to absorb the shock and sadness of the attacks, stories of heroism in the face of terror began to emerge. Some of the injured people reportedly tried to intervene when the terrorists started attacking people with knives. Those attackers appeared to be wearing suicide vests with explosives – which was later debunked – but the people trying to stop the terrorists would not have known that the vests were fake at the time.

“I heard truly remarkable stories of extraordinary, brave actions by officers – on and off duty – who were first on the scene,” Cressida Dick, the Metropolitan Police Commissioner, said. “I also heard of colleagues from other emergency services and members of the public who ran towards the danger as this incident unfolded.”

“Many, many people risked their own safety to help others and to treat those seriously injured and indeed to confront the suspects involved,” Ms Dick said.

One of those brave responders was a British Transport Police officer who tried to take down the terrorists with just a baton in hand. He reportedly tackled the attackers, and suffered injuries to his head, face, and leg. He is being treated for “serious” injuries.

Civilians responded bravely as well. A baker reportedly smashed a crate over the head of an attacker before helping to give shelter to about 20 people. A restaurant owner helped about 120 of his patrons to safety after having previously trained his staff on what to do in the case of an attack amid heightened tensions in London.

Three men were shot dead by eight police officers responding to the attack with an “unprecedented” hail of 50 bullets. One bystander was also shot during the response. Scotland Yard said that seven women and five men between the ages of 19 and 60 have been arrested in relation to the terror attack. One man, a 55-year-old, was released from custody without being charged.

The names of the victims have been coming out slowly, and one has been named as Canadian Christine Archibald. Ms Archibald worked in a homeless shelter until she moved to Europe to be with her fiance.