Three men attempted to storm into the Wheatsheaf pub in Borough Market during last night's terror attack, brandishing what some witnesses have described as 'big hunting knives'.
Armed police were quickly on the scene and took down the trio, eight minutes after receiving the first emergency call. It's understood the men were earlier in a white van, which mounted the kerb on London Bridge, ploughing into a group of pedestrians.
Bars in Borough Market were sent into lockdown while the operation unfolded, with people posting videos on social media, showing armed police telling people to get down and find safety.
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But employees at the Wheatsheaf pub, where the attackers were shot by police, are being commended for their quick thinking to protect as many people as possible.
Phillip Taylor was at the venue when it unfolded and says an employee yelled for everyone to get inside.
He told LADbible: "By the time I had got inside the staff at the Wheatsheaf had done an amazing job at barricading the front doors. They put some beer kegs in front of both doors and locked the gate."
Credit: Google Maps
Along with about 15 other patrons, he ran to the back of the pub and barricaded themselves in an upstairs toilet when they saw one of the attackers with a fake suicide bomb vest. The group could hear several bursts of gunshots until they were told to get out of the venue and run.
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Phillip said: "The staff at the Wheatsheaf were absolutely incredible. They kept the situation in the pub calm and within moments of us going inside they had the pub on lockdown.
"Not only that, but all of the people in the pub were heroes. No one was expecting this, no one wanted to be there, but each and every one banded together to do our part."
Natasha Phillips was also there and told LADbible: "I initially thought it was a fight at the front of the pub. When we heard the first shots we guessed terrorists, but it was too soon to find anything on our phones.
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"My friend tipped a table over to shield us. Then someone shouted for a doctor, but there wasn't one in the pub. He was crying because the guy was dying.
"Between the staff and the police, I think they saved our lives."
It was a similar scene around the block at Café Brood where owner, Mark Stembridge, told his staff to bring all his customers inside to protect them. He told HuffPost UK: "I can't tell you what they were screaming but they seemed to hesitate when they saw we were slightly organised.
"They then veered off beneath the bridge towards another establishment called Borough Bistro."
There have been reports of at least one person standing up to the attackers, despite the obvious and immediate threat. Gerard was near London Bridge and saw some of the stab victims, before throwing pint glasses and bottles at the terrorists.
Credit: PA
He told the BBC: "I was shouting 'run, run, run' and throwing bottles at them, pint glasses. I tried to help as many people as I could but I was defenceless. If I had fallen over they probably would have killed me."
Seven innocent people were killed in the attack while nearly 50 others were taken to hospital for treatment. Among those injured was a British Transport Police officer and an off-duty Metropolitan police officer.
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Police have arrested 12 people in connection with the attack at London Bridge and Borough Market.
Assistant Commissioner Mark Rowley has provided an update on the ongoing investigation.
He said: "The investigation is progressing at pace, and officers from the Met's Counter Terrorism Command, the National Counter Terrorism Policing network are working relentlessly with UK intelligence partners to piece together exactly what occurred.
"We have already made significant progress, but of course, there remains much more to do.
Assistant Commissioner Mark Rowley. Credit: PA
"We are making significant progress in identifying the three attackers, and that there were no other suspects at the scene, when the attack was carried out.
"Work is ongoing to understand more about them, their connections and whether they were assisted or supported by anyone else. As I think you are aware there are searches ongoing in east London, and 12 arrests have been made. There is of course more to do, and we will work relentlessly to establish the facts."
If you're worried about your friends or family, you can call the Met's Casualty Bureau on 0800 096 1233 or 020 7158 0197.
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Source: BBC, the Sun, Huff Post
Featured Image Credit: PA
