Nawaz caught up in traffic near London knife attack

LONDON: Former prime minister Nawaz Sharif was caught up in traffic just few meters away from the shooting site in London Bridge area where the police killed a man brandishing a knife.

Sharif was on his way to appointment at London Bridge Hospital Friday afternoon when the police sealed the area near the hospital because of shooting. Hassan Nawaz Sharif confirmed that he advised his father to return instead of trying to reach the hospital.

Sharif was only five minutes away from the hospital when police locked down the area. He stayed stuck in the traffic for over an hour until the police decided to divert the traffic to alternate routes after clamping down the entire area following the knife attack and shooting by the police.

Sharif arrived home two hours later without attending his appointment at the London Bridge Hospital. The police said they were dealing with a “serious incident” on London Bridge after reports of a “man running around with a knife” on iconic central London landmark.

Metropolitan Police and City of London Police responded to the incident at around 2pm. Shocking footage of the confrontation showed armed officers closing in on a man who had been pinned to the floor by passers-by.

Neil Basu, the head of UK counter-terrorism policing, confirmed a man had been killed and that a suspected explosive device is believed to be a hoax.

“I can confirm at approximately 14:00 GMT today police were called to a stabbing at a premises near to London Bridge,” the police chief said. A male suspect was shot by specialist armed officers from City of London Police and I can confirm that this suspect died at the scene.”

In an address made outside New Scotland Yard London Mayor Sadiq Khan praised members of the public who helped police tackle the suspected knifeman. He described their bravery as “breath-taking.”

“I want to thank our brave emergency services,” the Mayor said. “Every day they put their lives on the line for us, running towards danger in order to keep us safe. I’d also like to thank members of the public who risked their own safety this afternoon, they are the best of us. We must and will stand resolute in the face of terror.”

The latest attack, which is being treated as terror related by the police, comes less than a month after the country’s threat level was downgraded. On November 4 the threat level posed by terrorism to the UK was lowered by the security services after “positive developments” in reducing the risk of attacks, officials said.