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London Bridge attack: inquest told of 'high and terrible drama' London Bridge attack: inquest told of 'high and terrible drama'
(about 5 hours later)
Eight people were killed and 48 injured in less than 10 minutes of “high and terrible drama” as terrorists went on the rampage in the heart of London, an inquest has heard. A woman kissed her fiance and told him she loved him as they strolled across London Bridge moments before she was struck down by terrorists deliberately driving a van at pedestrians, an inquest has heard.
The London Bridge inquests began at the Old Bailey on Tuesday with details of the attack on 3 June 2017 being read out by Judge Mark Lucraft QC, the chief coroner. Details emerged of an off-duty nurse killed as she attempted to help the wounded, and a passerby who desperately tried to tackle the terrorists with a skateboard. Heart-wrenching details emerged on Tuesday as the inquest began into the deaths of eight people in the 3 June 2017 attack. All eight died in the first three minutes of the atrocity.
Families of those killed were in court as the inquest began. The family of Xavier Thomas, one of those killed in the attack, told of the impact of their loss, saying: “Our whole world has fallen apart.” The chief coroner of England and Wales, Mark Lucraft QC, said the terrorists went on the rampage in the heart of London on a night of “high and terrible drama”, first running people down on London Bridge in a van rented that day, then sprinting out of the vehicle wearing fake suicide bomb vests and stabbing people at random with pink ceramic knives bought for £4 each from Lidl.
Lucraft said: “The attack as a whole took less than 10 minutes from the van driving along the pavement to the attackers being stopped by police.” The court heard details of each those killed on the warm summer’s evening. A French man, Xavier Thomas, 45, was run over in the 18th second of a phone call to his son and thrown into the River Thames. An off-duty nurse was stabbed as she tended to the wounded, and a Spanish man was attacked while trying to save a woman by smacking the terrorists with a skateboard.
Eight people were killed and the three attackers were shot dead by armed police. The inquest is the first and probably only opportunity the victims’ families will have to ask key questions of the authorities. Among those questions are how the ringleader, Khuram Butt, 27, was able to attack while under investigation by MI5. The other terrorists were Rachid Redouane, 30, and Youssef Zaghba, 22.
Lucraft said the attacks began with a rented van being driven into pedestrians on London Bridge on a Saturday evening: “As the van drove across the bridge it repeatedly mounted the pavement and struck people walking.” Another key issue is whether London Bridge should have had additional protective measures in place three months after the atrocity at Westminster Bridge, where a terrorist assault also began with pedestrians being mown down. The national security and policy issues will be examined during the two months of the inquest.
Christine Archibald, 30, from Canada, and 45-year-old Xavier Thomas, a French national, were killed after being run over. Thomas was flung over the side of the bridge by the impact of the van and recovered from the River Thames days later. But on the first day at the Old Bailey the courtroom was turned into a cathedral of remembrance.
The attackers were Khuram Butt, 27, Rachid Redouane, 30, and Youssef Zaghba, 22. Christine Archibald, 30, a Canadian, was on her first trip to London with her fiance, Tyler Ferguson. He told the inquest: “We decided to walk over London Bridge; at one point Chrissy stopped me out of nowhere, grabbed me close and gave me a passionate kiss after telling me she loved me. I remember it being a warm summer’s evening and the sun had just gone down. And then the attack took place and Chrissy was killed.”
After ploughing into pedestrians on London Bridge, they then ran through Borough Market stabbing people with knives tied to their wrists, Lucraft said. In every instance, if the victims had made slightly different decisions they would not have been in the path of the terrorists, but others would have been. At least two of those killed went towards the danger to help.
He added: “The lives of many people were torn apart by what took place in less than 10 minutes of high and terrible drama.” Ignacio Echeverría Miralles de Imperial, 39, encountered a woman called Marie being stabbed while on the ground, whom two unarmed police officers also tried to save. She lived, but he died.
The atrocity continued as the terrorists stabbed the 21-year-old Australian Sara Zelenak, an au pair. The coroner said: “He joined PC [Wayne] Marques and PC [Charlie] Guenigault in trying to prevent the attack by the three attackers on Marie. Ignacio hit Redouane and possibly also hit Zaghba with a skateboard that he had with him. Again, his courageous efforts were to seek to stop the attack. In the course of doing what he did, he was fatally stabbed.”
Sebastien Belanger, a 36-year-old French national, “was cornered by all three attackers”, the coroner said, but bravely fought back and died after suffering “horrific injuries”. Kirsty Boden, 28, an Australian nurse, was dining in the courtyard of the Borough Bistro. The van crashed into railings by a pub just overhead, sending debris crashing on to diners.
Butt, the attack ringleader, then stabbed Alexandre Pigeard, 26, a French restaurant worker, with the 28-year-old Australian Kirsty Boden killed next after going to help the injured. She was a nurse at Guy’s and St Thomas’ hospital and was on an evening out with friends. The court heard that the three Islamist terrorists sprinted out of the van shouting “Allahu Akbar” and started stabbing people. Boden went to the aid of Alexandre Pigeard, 26, a French restaurant worker who had been stabbed and was dying.
Lucraft said Butt made a “swinging motion” at Boden, who ran towards an alleyway where she was later found dead from her injuries. Boden was stabbed in the chest by Butt, who made a “swinging motion” at her with his knife, but she managed to flee, only to collapse in an alleyway where she was later found by the two friends she had gone out with. A passing GP known as Dr Khan tried in vain to save her life.
Her partner, James Holler, said he had been astonished that Boden had fallen for a “pasty, mumbling British accountant” such as himself, but the self-deprecating joke could not hide his loss. He told the court: “I am still head over heels in love with Kirsty and I miss her so much.”
The families of Pigeard and Boden, united by the actions and tragedies of their loved ones, met near the witness box and embraced.
The inquest opened with key facts outlined by the coroner, followed by pen portraits of the dead from their loved ones. The terrorists killed two people with the van and six with the knives.
Among those were 21-year-old Sara Zelenak, an Australian au pair, and Sébastien Bélanger, 36, a French chef. The coroner said Bélanger was “cornered by all three attackers” and fought back bravely but died after sustaining “horrific injuries”.
The attack happened on the evening of the Champions League final, which was being watched in a pub by 32-year-old James McMullan, the only Briton killed that evening. He went out for a cigarette and was caught up in the attack. He was found dead in an alleyway.The attack happened on the evening of the Champions League final, which was being watched in a pub by 32-year-old James McMullan, the only Briton killed that evening. He went out for a cigarette and was caught up in the attack. He was found dead in an alleyway.
Some people, the inquest heard, were stabbed while on the ground. Two police officers who were unarmed tried to halt the attack and were also injured. Another 48 people were injured, some seriously. The attack from its start to its end, when police officers shot the three terrorists, lasted no more than 10 minutes.
Ignacio Echeverría, 39, a Spanish national, made “courageous efforts”, joining the two police officers in tackling the terrorists. He only had a skateboard, and died after being stabbed. The coroner said: “The lives of many people were torn apart by what took place in less than 10 minutes of high and terrible drama.”
Lucraft said: “After killing Ignacio the attackers jogged along Borough High Street.” All of the family statements were heard in court by Neil Basu, at the time senior national coordinator for counter-terrorism, and now head of counter-terrorism for the police. For the start he was joined by the Met commissioner, Cressida Dick.
The atrocity ended when the attackers, who had taken steroids, tried to kill armed police officers, who shot dead all three. The London Bridge attack was one of four terrorist atrocities in the UK between March and June 2017. A review for the government by David Anderson QC said: “The unpalatable lesson of London Bridge is that even priority subjects of interest in respect of whom sound decisions are being made … may retain the ability to conceal their attack planning from the authorities.”
Attending the first day in court was the Metropolitan police commissioner, Cressida Dick, and Ian Dyson, the commissioner of the City of London police. The inquest, which may test those conclusions, continues. It will hear from MI5 next month.
Butt was on MI5’s radar at the time of the attack and on its list of 3,000 terrorist suspects.
Butt was under active MI5 investigation when he struck, and was suspected of potential involvement in attack planning. He was also on bail for a criminal matter.
He was described as increasing his operational security and by 2017 worked at the Ummah fitness centre in east London, where he met his fellow attacker Redouane. He taught Qur’an classes to youngsters alongside his other co-conspirator, Zaghba.
The London Bridge attack was one of four terrorist atrocities in the UK between March and June 2017. A review for the government by the barrister David Anderson QC said: “The unpalatable lesson of London Bridge is that even priority subjects of interest in respect of whom sound decisions are being made … may retain the ability to conceal their attack planning from the authorities.”
The inquest, which may test those conclusions, continues.
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