London Bridge attack
At 10.06pm on 3 June 2017, Khuram Butt, Rachid Redouane and Youssef Zaghba drove a hired van over London Bridge, mounting the footway. Wearing fake suicide vests, they then got out and attacked people around Borough Market with knives strapped to their wrists. Armed police shot all three dead (City of London Police officers fired first, according to the Chief Coroner's report). Eight people were killed: Xavier Thomas, Christine Archibald, James McMullan, Alexandre Pigeard, Kirsty Boden, Sébastien Bélanger, Sara Zelenak and Ignacio Echeverría. The BBC reported 48 injured. The Chief Coroner said: "The lives of many people were torn apart in what took place in less than 10 minutes of high and terrible drama" (SBS).
In 2019 the Chief Coroner, Mark Lucraft, found that all eight victims were unlawfully killed. A jury found the three attackers lawfully killed. The BBC reported that he did not criticise MI5 or police, but did criticise the lack of barriers on the bridge.
Two Australians were killed. Kirsty Boden, 28, was a South Australian nurse. The inquest heard she was stabbed while helping a wounded man. Her family said: "As she ran towards danger, in an effort to help people on the bridge, Kirsty sadly lost her life." Sara Zelenak, 21, was from Queensland and was stabbed near the bridge. Brisbane woman Candice Hedge (throat wound) and Darwin man Andrew Morrison (stabbed in the side of the neck) survived (ABC). Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull said: "This is the last thing that anyone expect to happen to their children when they are in London" (Guardian).
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