Moment undercover cops point guns at ‘Islamic terrorist’ in fake suicide vest as he’s shot after knife attack
THIS is the dramatic moment armed cops take out a crazed knifeman wearing a fake suicide vest after he stabbed two people in a terror attack in South London.
Undercover officers in plain clothes appear out of nowhere and swoop in on the suspect as he lies gunned down on the pavement in Streatham High Road.
Seconds later, in scenes straight out of an action movie, another cop in plain clothes leaps off a motorbike as the expert team surround the “Islamist” terrorist, in footage captured by a passenger on a bus.
The officers dressed like members of the public wearing man bags, jeans and even holding shopping bags, then secure the scene and stand guard over the attacker.
They then order shoppers and witnesses to move away as the suspect lies bleeding on the pavement.
A witness claimed they saw a man wearing silver canisters strapped to his chest, wielding a machete being chased by undercover officer moments before armed cops swooped, the Mirror reports.
THREE INJURED
The Met Police later said that three people were injured in the deadly attack with one of the victims fighting for their life in hospital.
A spokesperson said: “As part of a proactive Counter Terrorism operation, armed officers were in immediate attendance and shot a male suspect, who was pronounced dead at the scene.
“A third person also received minor injuries – believed to have been caused by glass following the discharge of the police firearm.
One man is being treated as life-threatening, one woman has non-life threatening injuries and another woman has minor injuries.
Met Police spokesperson
“A device was found strapped to the body of the suspect and specialist officers attended.
“Cordons were put in place and it was quickly established that this was a hoax device.
“Three victims have been taken to south London hospitals. One man is being treated as life-threatening, one woman has non-life threatening injuries and another woman has minor injuries.”
Labour MP for Streatham Bell Ribeiro-Addy suggested the attacker was known to cops.
They [police] had been watching for some time, so hopefully we’ll hear more information about that tomorrow.
Bell Ribeiro-Addy MP
She said: “The perpetrator was shot dead by police. The police and the emergency services have been fantastic in their response.
“They got here quite quickly, responded to the incident, taking down the perpetrator, who, as you may know, they had been watching for some time, so hopefully we’ll hear more information about that tomorrow.”
Scotland Yard is yet to confirm that the attacker was known to counter-terror authorities, yet the speed of their response suggest that he may have been on a watch-list.
KNIFE RAMPAGE
Frantic witnesses heard gunshots and saw the man – who security sources say has “Islamist” links – collapse on the pavement.
Kiranjeet Singh, 38, told the Sun Online the suspected terrorist stole a 10inch knife from his brother’s bargain shop before leaving a trail of injured people in his wake.
He stabbed a terrified woman in the back before she ran away screaming in pain, another witness said, before slashing a young man in the chest with a “huge knife”.
Panicked people urged the wounded man to “stay with us” as he lay gravely injured on the ground.
Armed cops raced to take down the knife-wielding man – thought to be wearing something resembling a suicide vest – and shot him three times just after 2pm.
Security sources have said it is being treated as an “Islamist” attack – after tentative cops were seen approaching his body.
Read our Streatham terror attack live blog for the latest news and updates
A Met Police statement said: “A man has been shot by armed officers in #Streatham. At this stage it is believed a number of people have been stabbed.
“The circumstances are being assessed; the incident has been declared as terrorist-related.”
Cops shouted for people to “get back” as they cleared the area of shoppers and bystanders immediately after the shooting.
One horrified witness who watched the sickening scenes unfold told the Sun Online: “I was outside having a cigarette near Argos and Iceland when I saw a woman in hysterics running up the street screaming ‘he stabbed me in the back’.
“As that was happening I looked up and saw another commotion and a man run away with a huge knife.
“There was a guy on the floor covered in blood with a huge gash down his side.
“He was in a really bad way and people were circled round him shouting ‘stay with us’. His clothes were soaked in blood.
“Then I heard the gunshots. There was one first. Then a pause for a while and two or three more.
The guy was just running around with a huge knife randomly stabbing people so police had to stop him.
“The police seemed to arrive pretty quickly but I was standing outside for at least 25 minutes before the first ambulance arrived. It was too slow.
“They went straight to the guy on the floor to help him then what looked like specialist police doctors or something came and helped too.”
Following the shocking attack the US Embassy told people to stay away from the Streatham area.
It has been suggested the armed man was known to cops, after dozens of armed police and undercover officers flooded the south London high street minutes after his rampage began.
There was a guy on the floor covered in blood with a huge gash down his side.
Witness
Co-leader of the Green Party, Jonathan Bartley, 48, who heard the gunshots, told Sun Online: “I am absolutely shocked and devastated.
“I am in disbelief that this could happen in Streatham. “This is one of the most diverse, inclusive and tolerant communities in London.
“To have the police day so quickly that this is a terror related incident leaves a lot of questions about how this happened.
“A huge thank you to the police and emergency services who reacted so quickly, the fact they did so and the numbers that arrived raises questions for us I think.
“Did they know something? Was there some intelligence?”
It comes two months after a horrifying terror attack at London Bridge by a convicted terrorist, which saw two people die.
Images from today show an armed police officer standing next to a black BMW stopped in the middle of the street.
He could be seen pointing a gun at a man lying on the floor outside a Boots – with a knife discarded nearby.
DAYLIGHT ATTACK
And in another picture of the scene a number of injured people being treated on the pavement can be seen behind a cop moving bystanders away.
Gulled Bulhan, a 19-year-old student from Streatham, said: “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.”
Emma Taylor, 31, from Streatham Hill, told the Sun Online: “I was walking up the high street after going for brunch with some friends and we saw a woman screaming outside a small hardware shop next to Iceland.
“As we approached her she was in serious distress and she shouted ‘he’s just grabbed a knife from my shop and stabbed a lady'”.
“She stopped us from going any further and that’s when we saw the woman, just five metres in front us, being attended to by paramedics.
“She kept trying to get up, she was in pure shock. Before we saw all this, I remember unmarked police cars whizzing past us.
“There was armed police everywhere – it was like something out of a film.
“The woman, who owns the hardware shop, kept repeating ‘he stabbed her in the back’.”
“There was helicopters and all sorts and as we walked off the woman seemed to be ok.
“Had it been 20 odd seconds earlier we would have been right on top of it all.”
A London Ambulance Service spokesman said: “We have a number of resources attending an incident in Streatham High Road.”
One person tweeted: “Be careful out today in London, just seen about two dozen armed police, a man shot and two stab victims receiving urgent medical care.”
MOST READ IN NEWS
A witness, Dave Chawner, posted: “I had to stay with someone who’d just been #stabbed in #Streatham for 30 minutes before a single ambulance arrived. I hope he made it.”
And another said: “What the hell is going on in Streatham?!? Helicopters circling above and sirens outside. Twitter saying a man has been shot dead.
“It’s a Sunday afternoon and families are everywhere. Very scary.”
More to follow…
For the latest news on this story keep checking back at Sun Online.
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