Man shot dead by police in London Bridge terrorist incident

Prime minister Boris Johnson issued a statement saying "I want to thank the emergency services and members of the public for their immense bravery in responding to this suspected terrorist attack at London Bridge. This is an appalling incident and all my thoughts are with the victims and their families."

Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn tweeted "My thoughts are with those caught up in the incident. Thank you to the police and emergency services who are responding."

Sadiq Khan, the Mayor of London, said in a statement: "It has been confirmed that people were injured in the attack. My heart goes out to them, their families and all affected.

"We must - and we will – stay resolute in our determination to stand strong and united in the face of terror," he continued. "Those who seek to attack us and divide us will never succeed."

BBC reporter John McManus, who witnessed some of the incident, said he saw what looked like a fight and heard several gunshots as he walked across London Bridge.

"There appeared to be a fight going on the other side of the bridge, with several men attacking one man," he told BBC News. "Police then quickly arrived, including armed police, and then a number of shots were fired at this man."

On Nov 4 the UK's terrorism threat level was downgraded from severe to substantial, meaning that attacks were thought to be likely rather than highly likely.