Police name two of three men who carried out London Bridge terror attack

TWO of the London Bridge terrorists have been named by Scotland Yard as Khuram Shazad Butt and Rachid Redouane.

Butt, a 27-year-old British citizen born in Pakistan, and Redouane, who claimed to be Moroccan-Libyan, both lived in Barking, east London.

Assistant Commissioner Mark Rowley said Butt was known to the security services, but there was no evidence of “attack planning” by him.

Updates: Two men shot dead by police following terrorist attack in #LondonBridge #BoroughMarket named https://t.co/prQUaxy2k4 pic.twitter.com/LR4klVhZ64

— Metropolitan Police (@metpoliceuk) June 5, 2017

“They believe two of the men are Khuram Shazad Butt and Rachid Redouane, both from Barking, east London. All three men were confronted and shot dead by armed officers within eight minutes of the first call. Inquiries are ongoing to confirm the identity of their accomplice,” Mr Rowley added.

Redouane, 30, also used the name Rachid Elkhdar, claiming to be six years younger.

Butt was known to the police and MI5, and a member of public had reported him to an anti-terror hotline.

The investigation into Butt was started in 2015, “however, there was no intelligence to suggest that this attack was being planned and the investigation had been prioritised accordingly”, Mr Rowley said.

He added: “Work is ongoing to understand more about them, their connections and whether they were assisted or supported by anyone else.”

It is not yet known how the two men named knew each other.

Of the seven women and five men arrested since the attack a man and a woman have subsequently been released.

Referring to Butt, Mr Rowley said one of the three was part of an investigation “prioritised in the lower echelons of our investigative work”.

Detectives would like to hear from anyone with information about the men, particularly places they may have frequented and their movements in the days and hours before the attack.

Scotland Yard’s Commissioner Cressida Dick said authorities were confronting a “new reality” after three deadly assaults hit the UK in just 10 weeks.

The Islamic State terror group, also known as Daesh, has claimed responsibility for the London Bridge rampage, while the attack has sparked fears Britain is in the grip of a spate of copycat incidents.

In the latest outrage, three terrorists killed seven victims and injured dozens more in the London Bridge area on Saturday night.

Pedestrians were struck by a van on London Bridge before attackers stabbed a police officer and revellers around Borough Market with 12in knives.

Hundreds cowered in pubs and restaurants, barricading themselves inside as the attackers stalked the street.

The attackers, who were wearing fake suicide bomb vests, were shot dead by eight officers after police opened fire with a hail of 50 bullets.

Tales of heroism emerged, with one British Transport Police officer taking on the attackers armed only with his baton before being stabbed in the head, face and leg.

Three other officers were hurt in the attack.

AC Rowley: "I urge anyone with information about these men, their movements before the attack & where they frequented to come forward." https://t.co/iheY8Wogyt

— Counter Terrorism Policing UK (@TerrorismPolice) June 5, 2017

Of the 48 people taken to hospital, 36 are currently being cared for in London hospitals with 18 remaining in a critical condition.

The pair released without charge were a 55-year-old man and 53-year-old woman arrested at the same address in Barking.

Six women aged between 19 and 60, and four men between 27 and 55, are still being held by police. Police raided properties in Barking on Sunday and a further two on Monday in Newham and Barking.

Security sources in Dublin said one of the terrorists was carrying an identity card issued in Ireland when he was shot dead.