In the wake of the recent terror attack in London on Saturday night, British Prime Minister Theresa May issued a statement wherein she mentioned different ways that need to be adopted to counter terrorism. Emphasising on the need to overhaul strategies to combat extremism, May held tech companies partly responsible for providing extremists a &ldquo;safe space&rdquo; to grow.

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/london-bridge-attack-facebook-twitter-aim-to-clean-terrorist-content-16431">Also </a><a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/london-bridge-attack-facebook-twitter-aim-to-clean-terrorist-content-16431">Read:</a><a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/london-bridge-attack-facebook-twitter-aim-to-clean-terrorist-content-16431">&nbsp;Facebook, Twitter aim to clean &#39;terrorist content&#39;</a>

&ldquo;We cannot allow this ideology the safe space it needs to breed. Yet that is precisely what the internet, and the big companies that provide internet-based services provide,&rdquo; said May in a statement on the London Bridge terror attack.

It is true that extremist groups are using the web to recruit members, spread hate and extremist propaganda, send coded messages and coordinate attacks, but it wouldn&rsquo;t be right to condemn internet companies for the same as these companies, seemingly, are doing a fair job to take down any content or accounts that are involved in terrorist activities and/or encourage support for terrorism.

Facebook, for instance, has been using a mix of tech and humans to prevent the spread of extremist content on the website. &quot;Using a combination of technology and human review, we work aggressively to remove terrorist content from our platform as soon as we become aware of it,&rdquo; said Simon Milner, director of policy at Facebook in an emailed statement.

&ldquo;And if we become aware of an emergency involving imminent harm to someone&#39;s safety, we notify law enforcement,&rdquo; added Milner.

Twitter, on the other hand, <a href="https://transparency.twitter.com/en/gov-tos-reports.html">suspended a total of 3,76,890 accounts</a> for promoting terrorism between July-Dec 2016. According to the company, 3/4th of the accounts taken down were discovered with the help of Twitter&#39;s internal, proprietary spam-fighting tools, while only the two per cent of those were suspended in the reported time after government requests.

Not only Facebook and Twitter, Google has also been playing an active role to fight terrorism on its multiple platforms. For instance, YouTube doesn&rsquo;t encourage the spread of hateful content and immediately removes any content that aims to incite violence. Its software further prevents the video from being reposted. In 2015 alone, YouTube removed 92 million videos for violation of its policies through a mix of user flagging and its own spam-detection technology. However, videos that were taken down for terrorism or hate speech violations happened to be 1 per cent of them.

In fact, companies including Facebook, Twitter, Microsoft and YouTube last year joined hands to help curb extremist content online. They teamed up to create a shared industry database of unique digital fingerprints for images and videos that support extremist organisations. Those digital fingerprints come to the companies&#39; help for identifying extremist content so that it can be easily removed.

Cyberspace regulation

Not only May held tech companies responsible for the growing extremism online, but she also expressed the need &ldquo;to work with allied democratic governments to reach international agreements that regulate cyberspace to prevent the spread of extremist and terrorism planning.&quot; While it is believed that May&rsquo;s recent remark suggesting the need to regulate the internet and encryption could aggravate problems further.

Explaining why this wouldn&rsquo;t be a right move to opt for cyberspace regulation, privacy advocacy organisation <a href="https://www.openrightsgroup.org/blog/2017/the-london-attacks">Open Rights Group said</a>, &ldquo;This could be a very risky approach. If successful, Theresa May could push these vile networks into even darker corners of the web, where they will be even harder to observe.&rdquo;

&ldquo;While governments and companies should take sensible measures to stop abuse, attempts to control the Internet is not the simple solution that Theresa May is claiming,&rdquo; added British non-profit.

The government, on the other hand, finds encrypted data to be of threat to national security. It has been long arguing that companies should provide investigators with the backdoor access to the encrypted information. But privacy advocates have been suggesting that by forcing tech companies to share encrypted data wouldn&rsquo;t protect national security.

Weakening encryption wouldn&rsquo;t guarantee people&rsquo;s safety, says cyber security expert Richard Forno. Terrorists in such cases may develop their own cyber channels, Forno hinted at a likely possibility. &quot;The bad guys are not constrained by the law. That&#39;s why they&#39;re bad guys,&rdquo; he added.

Also, building backdoor entries into encryption could make data, which include personal and confidential details, more prone to hacking.

No wonder, tech companies like Facebook and Google are behaving responsibly and putting in their efforts to prevent the spread of extremist content, without compromising on the user privacy, but the bigger question is that is it solely the tech companies&#39; job to police the internet?

Will the Internet censorship help curb the terrorism? We don&rsquo;t believe so.

(WION)

British Prime Minister Theresa May held tech companies partly responsible for providing extremists a ?safe space? to grow.

In the wake of the recent terror attack in London on Saturday night, British Prime Minister Theresa May issued a statement wherein she mentioned different ways that need to be adopted to counter terrorism. Emphasising on the need to overhaul strategies to combat extremism, May held tech companies partly responsible for providing extremists a “safe space” to grow. Also Read: Facebook, Twitter aim to clean 'terrorist content' “We cannot allow this ideology the safe space it needs to breed. Yet that is precisely what the internet, and the big companies that provide internet-based services provide,” said May in a statement on the London Bridge terror attack. It is true that extremist groups are using the web to recruit members, spread hate and extremist propaganda, send coded messages and coordinate attacks, but it wouldn’t be right to condemn internet companies for the same as these companies, seemingly, are doing a fair job to take down any content or accounts that are involved in terrorist activities and/or encourage support for terrorism. Facebook, for instance, has been using a mix of tech and humans to prevent the spread of extremist content on the website. "Using a combination of technology and human review, we work aggressively to remove terrorist content from our platform as soon as we become aware of it,” said Simon Milner, director of policy at Facebook in an emailed statement. “And if we become aware of an emergency involving imminent harm to someone's safety, we notify law enforcement,” added Milner. Twitter, on the other hand, suspended a total of 3,76,890 accounts for promoting terrorism between July-Dec 2016. According to the company, 3/4th of the accounts taken down were discovered with the help of Twitter's internal, proprietary spam-fighting tools, while only the two per cent of those were suspended in the reported time after government requests. Not only Facebook and Twitter, Google has also been playing an active role to fight terrorism on its multiple platforms. For instance, YouTube doesn’t encourage the spread of hateful content and immediately removes any content that aims to incite violence. Its software further prevents the video from being reposted. In 2015 alone, YouTube removed 92 million videos for violation of its policies through a mix of user flagging and its own spam-detection technology. However, videos that were taken down for terrorism or hate speech violations happened to be 1 per cent of them. In fact, companies including Facebook, Twitter, Microsoft and YouTube last year joined hands to help curb extremist content online. They teamed up to create a shared industry database of unique digital fingerprints for images and videos that support extremist organisations. Those digital fingerprints come to the companies' help for identifying extremist content so that it can be easily removed. Cyberspace regulation Not only May held tech companies responsible for the growing extremism online, but she also expressed the need “to work with allied democratic governments to reach international agreements that regulate cyberspace to prevent the spread of extremist and terrorism planning." While it is believed that May’s recent remark suggesting the need to regulate the internet and encryption could aggravate problems further. Explaining why this wouldn’t be a right move to opt for cyberspace regulation, privacy advocacy organisation Open Rights Group said, “This could be a very risky approach. If successful, Theresa May could push these vile networks into even darker corners of the web, where they will be even harder to observe.” “While governments and companies should take sensible measures to stop abuse, attempts to control the Internet is not the simple solution that Theresa May is claiming,” added British non-profit. The government, on the other hand, finds encrypted data to be of threat to national security. It has been long arguing that companies should provide investigators with the backdoor access to the encrypted information. But privacy advocates have been suggesting that by forcing tech companies to share encrypted data wouldn’t protect national security. Weakening encryption wouldn’t guarantee people’s safety, says cyber security expert Richard Forno. Terrorists in such cases may develop their own cyber channels, Forno hinted at a likely possibility. "The bad guys are not constrained by the law. That's why they're bad guys,” he added. Also, building backdoor entries into encryption could make data, which include personal and confidential details, more prone to hacking. No wonder, tech companies like Facebook and Google are behaving responsibly and putting in their efforts to prevent the spread of extremist content, without compromising on the user privacy, but the bigger question is that is it solely the tech companies' job to police the internet? Will the Internet censorship help curb the terrorism? We don’t believe so. (WION)

Terrorism on web: Why it's not fair to condemn tech companies and regulate cyberspace

British police on Monday named two of the three attackers who killed seven people near London Bridge late on Saturday and injured dozens more, and said one of them was previously known to the security services.

London&#39;s Metropolitan Police said one attacker was Khuram Shazad Butt, aged 27. Butt was previously known to police and domestic spy agency, MI5 and was a <a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/one-london-attacker-of-pakistani-origin-report-16453">British citizen who had been born in Pakistan</a>, the police said.

&quot;However, there was no intelligence to suggest that this attack was being planned and the investigation had been prioritised accordingly,&quot; police said.

The second attacker was named as Rachid Redouane, aged 30, who also went by the identity Rachid Elkhdar and was not known to police. Redouane claimed to be Moroccan and Libyan.

Police said they were still working to establish the identity of the third attacker.

(Reuters)

 
&nbsp;

Khuram Shazad Butt was previously known to police and domestic spy agency, MI5 and was a British citizen who had been born in Pakistan

British police on Monday named two of the three attackers who killed seven people near London Bridge late on Saturday and injured dozens more, and said one of them was previously known to the security services. London's Metropolitan Police said one attacker was Khuram Shazad Butt, aged 27. Butt was previously known to police and domestic spy agency, MI5 and was a British citizen who had been born in Pakistan, the police said. "However, there was no intelligence to suggest that this attack was being planned and the investigation had been prioritised accordingly," police said. The second attacker was named as Rachid Redouane, aged 30, who also went by the identity Rachid Elkhdar and was not known to police. Redouane claimed to be Moroccan and Libyan. Police said they were still working to establish the identity of the third attacker. (Reuters)

Two London attackers named: One of Pakistani origin, another 'Moroccan and Libyan'

&nbsp;People had their throats slashed from behind and endured violence so horrific they were left unable to speak in Saturday night&#39;s murderous rampage by three jihadis in the heart of London, according to accounts still emerging two days later.

The attackers first rammed a van into pedestrians at high speed on London Bridge, before running into narrow streets buzzing with nightlife in the Borough Market area and stabbing people indiscriminately with long knives.

The attack left seven people dead and 48 injured, of whom 18 were still in a critical condition on Monday.

&quot;The people who&#39;d been stabbed had been stabbed with a clear intent to kill,&quot; Malik Ramadhan, a senior doctor in charge of accident and emergency services at the Royal London hospital, told BBC radio on Monday.

His hospital received 12 of the injured on Saturday night, and he said several of them had been left wordless with shock.

&quot;People who&#39;d gone through an experience more horrific than I can imagine were just sitting on trolleys not speaking to us,&quot; said Ramadhan. &quot;They were startled to the point where they couldn&#39;t speak.&quot;

During the chaos on Saturday night, one eyewitness fleeing the scene told Reuters she had seen three people who appeared to have their throats cut.

Detailed accounts gradually emerging confirmed her account.

Among the survivors was Australian waitress Candice Hedge. Family members told Australian media an attacker grabbed her head from behind before slashing her throat.

Martial arts enthusiast Geoff Ho was captured on video bleeding heavily from the neck after trying to help a pub bouncer who was being attacked.

New Zealander Oliver Dowling suffered multiple stab wounds to his face, neck and stomach, his sister told media.

An eyewitness, Gerard Vowles, said the attackers were like robots. &quot;They were there to do one thing and one thing only: to kill people, stab them, stab them to death,&quot; he said.

One man filmed among a stream of people fleeing the scene could be seen calmly taking his pint of beer with him, in what some saw as a symbol of British humour and defiance.

Other Londoners fought back with whatever came to hand, including hurling chairs and tables.

One transport police offer took on the assailants armed only with a baton. He suffered face, head and leg injuries.

&quot;For an officer who only joined us less than two years ago, the bravery he showed was outstanding and makes me extremely proud,&quot; said British Transport Police&#39;s Chief Constable Paul Crowther.

&quot;It became clear that he showed enormous courage in the face of danger, as did many others who were at the scene and rushed to help.&quot;

(Reuters)

During the chaos on Saturday night, one eyewitness fleeing the scene told Reuters she had seen three people who appeared to have their throats cut

People had their throats slashed from behind and endured violence so horrific they were left unable to speak in Saturday night's murderous rampage by three jihadis in the heart of London, according to accounts still emerging two days later. The attackers first rammed a van into pedestrians at high speed on London Bridge, before running into narrow streets buzzing with nightlife in the Borough Market area and stabbing people indiscriminately with long knives. The attack left seven people dead and 48 injured, of whom 18 were still in a critical condition on Monday. "The people who'd been stabbed had been stabbed with a clear intent to kill," Malik Ramadhan, a senior doctor in charge of accident and emergency services at the Royal London hospital, told BBC radio on Monday. His hospital received 12 of the injured on Saturday night, and he said several of them had been left wordless with shock. "People who'd gone through an experience more horrific than I can imagine were just sitting on trolleys not speaking to us," said Ramadhan. "They were startled to the point where they couldn't speak." During the chaos on Saturday night, one eyewitness fleeing the scene told Reuters she had seen three people who appeared to have their throats cut. Detailed accounts gradually emerging confirmed her account. Among the survivors was Australian waitress Candice Hedge. Family members told Australian media an attacker grabbed her head from behind before slashing her throat. Martial arts enthusiast Geoff Ho was captured on video bleeding heavily from the neck after trying to help a pub bouncer who was being attacked. New Zealander Oliver Dowling suffered multiple stab wounds to his face, neck and stomach, his sister told media. An eyewitness, Gerard Vowles, said the attackers were like robots. "They were there to do one thing and one thing only: to kill people, stab them, stab them to death," he said. One man filmed among a stream of people fleeing the scene could be seen calmly taking his pint of beer with him, in what some saw as a symbol of British humour and defiance. Other Londoners fought back with whatever came to hand, including hurling chairs and tables. One transport police offer took on the assailants armed only with a baton. He suffered face, head and leg injuries. "For an officer who only joined us less than two years ago, the bravery he showed was outstanding and makes me extremely proud," said British Transport Police's Chief Constable Paul Crowther. "It became clear that he showed enormous courage in the face of danger, as did many others who were at the scene and rushed to help." (Reuters)

London victims speechless with shock, some had throats slit from behind

Prime Minister Theresa May said Britain must be tougher in stamping out Islamist extremism after attackers killed at least seven people by ramming a van into pedestrians on London Bridge and stabbing revellers in nearby bars.

After the third militant attack in Britain in less than three months, May said Thursday&#39;s national election would go ahead. But she proposed regulating cyberspace and said Britain had been far too tolerant of extremism.

&quot;It is time to say enough is enough,&quot; the Conservative leader said outside her Downing Street office, where British flags flew at half-staff.

&quot;We cannot and must not pretend that things can continue as they are,&quot; May said, adding that Britain was under attack from a new breed of crude copycat militants.

Islamic State, which is losing territory in Syria and Iraq to an offensive backed by a US-led coalition, said its militants were responsible for the attack, the group&#39;s media agency Amaq said in a statement monitored in Cairo.

One French national and one Canadian were among those killed. At least 48 people were injured in the attack. Australia said one of its citizens was among the injured.

Police shot dead the three male assailants in the Borough Market area near London Bridge within eight minutes of receiving the first emergency call shortly after 10 pm. (2100 GMT).

Mark Rowley, head of counter-terrorism police, said eight officers had fired about 50 bullets to stop the attackers, who appeared to be suicide bombers because they were wearing what turned out to be fake suicide vests.

&quot;The situation these officers were confronted with was critical: a matter of life and death,&quot; Rowley said. &quot;I am humbled by the bravery of an officer who will rush towards a potential suicide bomber thinking only of protecting others.&quot;

A member of the public received non-critical gunshot wounds. Police did not release the names of the attackers.

London police arrested 12 people in the Barking district of east London in connection with the attack and raids were continuing there, the force said. A Reuters photographer saw another raid take place in nearby East Ham.

Less than two weeks ago, a suicide bomber killed 22 children and adults at a concert by US&nbsp;singer Ariana Grande in Manchester in northern England. In March, in an attack similar to Saturday&#39;s, five people died after a man drove into pedestrians on Westminster Bridge in central London and stabbed a policeman.

May said the series of attacks were not connected in terms of planning and execution but were inspired by what she called a &quot;single, evil ideology of Islamist extremism&quot; that represented a perversion of Islam and of the truth.

She said this ideology had to be confronted both abroad and at home, adding that the internet and big internet companies provided the space for such extremism to breed.

Facebook said it wanted to make its social media platform a &quot;hostile environment&quot; for terrorists. Twitter also said it was working to tackle the spread of militant propaganda.

After the Manchester attack, Britain raised its threat level to &quot;critical&quot; - meaning an attack is expected imminently - but downgraded it back to &quot;severe&quot;, which means an attack is highly likely, on May 27.

Harrowing scenes

Witnesses described harrowing scenes as the attackers&#39; white van veered on and off the bridge sidewalk, hitting people along the way, and the three men then ran into an area packed with bars and restaurants, stabbing people indiscriminately.

Accounts emerged of people trying to barricade themselves in a pub while others tried throwing tables and other objects to fend off the attackers.

One eyewitness said the attackers screamed &quot;this is for Allah&quot; as they stabbed people.

England&#39;s health authority said on Sunday afternoon that 36 of those injured remained in hospital, of whom 21 were in a critical condition.

May made a private visit to staff and patients at King&#39;s College Hospital, where some of the injured were being treated, a spokeswoman said.

The government announced that a nationwide minute of silence would be held at 1000 GMT on Tuesday to pay respect to the victims of the attack and flags would remain at half-mast on government buildings until Tuesday evening.

A Reuters photographer saw four women being removed from an apartment block in Barking, shielding their faces as they stepped into police vans.

Islamic State militants had sent out a call on instant messaging service Telegram early on Saturday urging its followers to carry out attacks with trucks, knives and guns against &quot;Crusaders&quot; during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.

Islamist militants have carried out scores of deadly attacks in Europe, the Middle East, Africa, Asia and the United States over the past two years.

&quot;We believe we are experiencing a new trend in the threat we face as terrorism breeds terrorism,&quot; May said.

&quot;Perpetrators are inspired to attack not only on the basis of carefully constructed plots ... and not even as lone attackers radicalised online but by copying one another and often using the crudest of means of attack.&quot;

&quot;Tolerance of extremism&quot;

May, who served as Britain&#39;s interior minister from 2010 to 2016, said there was too much tolerance of extremism in Britain.

&quot;While we have made significant progress in recent years, there is - to be frank - far too much tolerance of extremism in our country,&quot; she said, urging Britons to be more robust in stamping it out in the public sector and in wider society.

Opposition Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn said Britain needed to have difficult conversations with Saudi Arabia and other Gulf states about the funding of Islamist extremism.

US&nbsp;President Donald Trump, taking to Twitter on Sunday, urged the world to stop being &quot;politically correct&quot; in order to ensure public security against terrorism.

Most of the main political parties suspended election campaigning on Sunday, but May said this would resume on Monday. The anti-European Union UK Independence Party said it would not suspend its campaign because disrupting democracy was what the extremists wanted.

London Bridge is a transport hub and nearby Borough Market is a fashionable warren of alleyways leavened with bars and restaurants that is always bustling on a Saturday night.

The area remained cordoned off and patrolled by armed police and counter-terrorism officers on Sunday, with train stations closed. Forensic investigators could be seen working on the bridge, where buses and taxis stood abandoned.

At several points outside the cordon, people laid flowers and messages of grief and solidarity.

Ariana Grande and other music stars were giving a benefit concert at Manchester&#39;s Old Trafford cricket ground on Sunday evening to raise funds for victims of the concert bombing and their families.

&quot;Today&#39;s One Love Manchester benefit concert will not only continue but will do so with greater purpose,&quot; Grande&#39;s manager, Scooter Braun, said on Twitter after the London attack.

London Mayor Sadiq Khan said the official threat level in Britain remained at severe, meaning a militant attack is highly likely. It had been raised to critical after the Manchester attack, then lowered again days later.

&quot;One of the things we can do is show that we aren&#39;t going to be cowed is by voting on Thursday and making sure that we understand the importance of our democracy, our civil liberties and our human rights,&quot; Khan said.

In tweets, Trump offered help to Britain but also levelled apparent criticism of Khan for saying there was no need to be alarmed. Khan had earlier said Londoners would see an increased police presence on the streets of the city and people should not be alarmed by that.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel, French President Emmanuel Macron and Russian President Vladimir Putin were among those who sent messages of condolence and made statements of solidarity.

The Manchester bombing on May 22 was the deadliest attack in Britain since July 2005, when four British Muslim suicide bombers killed 52 people in coordinated assaults on London&#39;s transport network.

(Reuters)

After the third militant attack in Britain in less than three months, May said Thursday's national election would go ahead

Prime Minister Theresa May said Britain must be tougher in stamping out Islamist extremism after attackers killed at least seven people by ramming a van into pedestrians on London Bridge and stabbing revellers in nearby bars. After the third militant attack in Britain in less than three months, May said Thursday's national election would go ahead. But she proposed regulating cyberspace and said Britain had been far too tolerant of extremism. "It is time to say enough is enough," the Conservative leader said outside her Downing Street office, where British flags flew at half-staff. "We cannot and must not pretend that things can continue as they are," May said, adding that Britain was under attack from a new breed of crude copycat militants. Islamic State, which is losing territory in Syria and Iraq to an offensive backed by a US-led coalition, said its militants were responsible for the attack, the group's media agency Amaq said in a statement monitored in Cairo. One French national and one Canadian were among those killed. At least 48 people were injured in the attack. Australia said one of its citizens was among the injured. Police shot dead the three male assailants in the Borough Market area near London Bridge within eight minutes of receiving the first emergency call shortly after 10 pm. (2100 GMT). Mark Rowley, head of counter-terrorism police, said eight officers had fired about 50 bullets to stop the attackers, who appeared to be suicide bombers because they were wearing what turned out to be fake suicide vests. "The situation these officers were confronted with was critical: a matter of life and death," Rowley said. "I am humbled by the bravery of an officer who will rush towards a potential suicide bomber thinking only of protecting others." A member of the public received non-critical gunshot wounds. Police did not release the names of the attackers. London police arrested 12 people in the Barking district of east London in connection with the attack and raids were continuing there, the force said. A Reuters photographer saw another raid take place in nearby East Ham. Less than two weeks ago, a suicide bomber killed 22 children and adults at a concert by US singer Ariana Grande in Manchester in northern England. In March, in an attack similar to Saturday's, five people died after a man drove into pedestrians on Westminster Bridge in central London and stabbed a policeman. May said the series of attacks were not connected in terms of planning and execution but were inspired by what she called a "single, evil ideology of Islamist extremism" that represented a perversion of Islam and of the truth. She said this ideology had to be confronted both abroad and at home, adding that the internet and big internet companies provided the space for such extremism to breed. Facebook said it wanted to make its social media platform a "hostile environment" for terrorists. Twitter also said it was working to tackle the spread of militant propaganda. After the Manchester attack, Britain raised its threat level to "critical" - meaning an attack is expected imminently - but downgraded it back to "severe", which means an attack is highly likely, on May 27. Harrowing scenes Witnesses described harrowing scenes as the attackers' white van veered on and off the bridge sidewalk, hitting people along the way, and the three men then ran into an area packed with bars and restaurants, stabbing people indiscriminately. Accounts emerged of people trying to barricade themselves in a pub while others tried throwing tables and other objects to fend off the attackers. One eyewitness said the attackers screamed "this is for Allah" as they stabbed people. England's health authority said on Sunday afternoon that 36 of those injured remained in hospital, of whom 21 were in a critical condition. May made a private visit to staff and patients at King's College Hospital, where some of the injured were being treated, a spokeswoman said. The government announced that a nationwide minute of silence would be held at 1000 GMT on Tuesday to pay respect to the victims of the attack and flags would remain at half-mast on government buildings until Tuesday evening. A Reuters photographer saw four women being removed from an apartment block in Barking, shielding their faces as they stepped into police vans. Islamic State militants had sent out a call on instant messaging service Telegram early on Saturday urging its followers to carry out attacks with trucks, knives and guns against "Crusaders" during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan. Islamist militants have carried out scores of deadly attacks in Europe, the Middle East, Africa, Asia and the United States over the past two years. "We believe we are experiencing a new trend in the threat we face as terrorism breeds terrorism," May said. "Perpetrators are inspired to attack not only on the basis of carefully constructed plots ... and not even as lone attackers radicalised online but by copying one another and often using the crudest of means of attack." "Tolerance of extremism" May, who served as Britain's interior minister from 2010 to 2016, said there was too much tolerance of extremism in Britain. "While we have made significant progress in recent years, there is - to be frank - far too much tolerance of extremism in our country," she said, urging Britons to be more robust in stamping it out in the public sector and in wider society. Opposition Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn said Britain needed to have difficult conversations with Saudi Arabia and other Gulf states about the funding of Islamist extremism. US President Donald Trump, taking to Twitter on Sunday, urged the world to stop being "politically correct" in order to ensure public security against terrorism. Most of the main political parties suspended election campaigning on Sunday, but May said this would resume on Monday. The anti-European Union UK Independence Party said it would not suspend its campaign because disrupting democracy was what the extremists wanted. London Bridge is a transport hub and nearby Borough Market is a fashionable warren of alleyways leavened with bars and restaurants that is always bustling on a Saturday night. The area remained cordoned off and patrolled by armed police and counter-terrorism officers on Sunday, with train stations closed. Forensic investigators could be seen working on the bridge, where buses and taxis stood abandoned. At several points outside the cordon, people laid flowers and messages of grief and solidarity. Ariana Grande and other music stars were giving a benefit concert at Manchester's Old Trafford cricket ground on Sunday evening to raise funds for victims of the concert bombing and their families. "Today's One Love Manchester benefit concert will not only continue but will do so with greater purpose," Grande's manager, Scooter Braun, said on Twitter after the London attack. London Mayor Sadiq Khan said the official threat level in Britain remained at severe, meaning a militant attack is highly likely. It had been raised to critical after the Manchester attack, then lowered again days later. "One of the things we can do is show that we aren't going to be cowed is by voting on Thursday and making sure that we understand the importance of our democracy, our civil liberties and our human rights," Khan said. In tweets, Trump offered help to Britain but also levelled apparent criticism of Khan for saying there was no need to be alarmed. Khan had earlier said Londoners would see an increased police presence on the streets of the city and people should not be alarmed by that. German Chancellor Angela Merkel, French President Emmanuel Macron and Russian President Vladimir Putin were among those who sent messages of condolence and made statements of solidarity. The Manchester bombing on May 22 was the deadliest attack in Britain since July 2005, when four British Muslim suicide bombers killed 52 people in coordinated assaults on London's transport network. (Reuters)

'Enough is enough' PM May says after London Bridge attack

Social media site Facebook said it wanted to make its platform a &quot;hostile environment&quot; for terrorists in a statement issued after attackers killed seven people in London and prompted prime minister Theresa May to demand action from internet firms.

Three attackers rammed a hired van into pedestrians on London Bridge and stabbed others nearby on Saturday night in Britain&#39;s third major militant attack in recent months.

May responded to the attack by calling for an overhaul of the strategy used to combat extremism, including a demand for greater international regulation of the internet, saying big internet companies were partly responsible for providing extreme ideology the space to develop.

Facebook on Sunday said it condemned the London attacks.

&quot;We want Facebook to be a hostile environment for terrorists,&quot; said Simon Milner, Director of Policy at Facebook in an emailed statement.

&quot;Using a combination of technology and human review, we work aggressively to remove terrorist content from our platform as soon as we become aware of it &mdash; and if we become aware of an emergency involving imminent harm to someone&#39;s safety, we notify law enforcement.&quot;

May has previously put pressure on internet firms to take more responsibility for content posted on their services. Last month she pledged, if she wins an upcoming election, to create the power to make firms pay towards the cost of policing the internet with an industry-wide levy.

Twitter also said it was working to tackle the spread of militant propaganda on its website.

&quot;Terrorist content has no place on Twitter,&quot; Nick Pickles, UK head of public policy at Twitter, said in a statement, adding that in the second half of 2016 it had suspended nearly 400,000 accounts.

&quot;We continue to expand the use of technology as part of a systematic approach to removing this type of content.&quot;

(Reuters)

British PM Theresa May has called for an overhaul of internet strategy used to combat extremism.

Social media site Facebook said it wanted to make its platform a "hostile environment" for terrorists in a statement issued after attackers killed seven people in London and prompted prime minister Theresa May to demand action from internet firms. Three attackers rammed a hired van into pedestrians on London Bridge and stabbed others nearby on Saturday night in Britain's third major militant attack in recent months. May responded to the attack by calling for an overhaul of the strategy used to combat extremism, including a demand for greater international regulation of the internet, saying big internet companies were partly responsible for providing extreme ideology the space to develop. Facebook on Sunday said it condemned the London attacks. "We want Facebook to be a hostile environment for terrorists," said Simon Milner, Director of Policy at Facebook in an emailed statement. "Using a combination of technology and human review, we work aggressively to remove terrorist content from our platform as soon as we become aware of it — and if we become aware of an emergency involving imminent harm to someone's safety, we notify law enforcement." May has previously put pressure on internet firms to take more responsibility for content posted on their services. Last month she pledged, if she wins an upcoming election, to create the power to make firms pay towards the cost of policing the internet with an industry-wide levy. Twitter also said it was working to tackle the spread of militant propaganda on its website. "Terrorist content has no place on Twitter," Nick Pickles, UK head of public policy at Twitter, said in a statement, adding that in the second half of 2016 it had suspended nearly 400,000 accounts. "We continue to expand the use of technology as part of a systematic approach to removing this type of content." (Reuters)

London Bridge attack: Facebook, Twitter aim to clean 'terrorist content'

Britain&#39;s main political parties suspended campaigning Sunday for this week&#39;s election after an attack in London left seven people dead -- although the UK Independence Party (UKIP) said it would carry on.

The truce is the second in the race for the June 8 vote, after campaigning was halted for several days following the Manchester concert attack on May 22.

But with the race tightening between Prime Minister Theresa May&#39;s Conservatives and the main opposition Labour party, the suspension is only for national events -- and is likely to last only a few hours.

&quot;The Conservative party will not be campaigning nationally today. We will review as the day goes on and as more details of the attack emerge,&quot; a spokesman for the centre-right party told AFP.

Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn said: &quot;The Labour party will be suspending national campaigning until this evening, after consultations with other parties, as a mark of respect for those who have died and suffered injury.&quot;

The Scottish National Party (SNP) said it was suspending national campaigning &quot;this morning&quot;, adding: &quot;Appropriate local campaigning will continue.&quot;

The smaller Liberal Democrats also followed suit.

However, Paul Nuttall, the leader of the pro-Brexit, anti-immigration UKIP, said: &quot;I refused to suspend campaigning because this is precisely what the extremists would want us to do.&quot;

He added: &quot;It is more important than ever for us to confront this evil with the democratic principles that have made this country what it is.&quot;

(AFP)

Britain's main political parties suspended campaigning Sunday for this week's election after an attack in London left seven people dead -- although the UK Independence Party (UKIP) said it would carry on. The truce is the second in the race for the June 8 vote, after campaigning was halted for several days following the Manchester concert attack on May 22. But with the race tightening between Prime Minister Theresa May's Conservatives and the main opposition Labour party, the suspension is only for national events -- and is likely to last only a few hours. "The Conservative party will not be campaigning nationally today. We will review as the day goes on and as more details of the attack emerge," a spokesman for the centre-right party told AFP. Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn said: "The Labour party will be suspending national campaigning until this evening, after consultations with other parties, as a mark of respect for those who have died and suffered injury." The Scottish National Party (SNP) said it was suspending national campaigning "this morning", adding: "Appropriate local campaigning will continue." The smaller Liberal Democrats also followed suit. However, Paul Nuttall, the leader of the pro-Brexit, anti-immigration UKIP, said: "I refused to suspend campaigning because this is precisely what the extremists would want us to do." He added: "It is more important than ever for us to confront this evil with the democratic principles that have made this country what it is." (AFP)

UK parties suspend election campaign after London attack

Three assailants stabbed people at random after smashing into pedestrians in a van Saturday, killing six in a &quot;terrorist&quot; attack in central London before armed officers shot all three dead.

As they rampaged through a busy night-life hub around London Bridge, the trio wore what looked like suicide vests which turned out to be &quot;hoaxes&quot;, said Mark Rowley, head of counter-terrorism policing.

&quot;We believe that six people have died in addition to the three attackers shot dead by police,&quot; Rowley said.

Forty-eight people have been taken to hospital after the attack, the London Ambulance Service said Sunday.

&quot;We took 48 patients to five hospitals across London and treated a number of others at the scene for minor injuries,&quot; the LAS said in a statement on Saturday night`s attack.

The attack came just five days ahead of a general election and just minutes after the end of the Champions League final between Real Madrid and Juventus in an area teeming with bars where many fans were watching the football on television.

Britain is on high alert only 12 days after a suicide bomber killed 22 people at a concert in Manchester, north-west England and ahead of Thursday&#39;s general election, in which security is a major theme.

It is the latest in a string of attacks to hit Europe, including in Paris, Berlin and Saint Petersburg. 
&nbsp;

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<center>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/BREAKING?src=hash">#BREAKING</a> VIDEO Several <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/London?src=hash">#London</a> police officers enter pub at <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/LondonBridge?src=hash">#LondonBridge</a> telling people to &#39;get down!&#39; <a href="https://t.co/qSlczUdvBL">pic.twitter.com/qSlczUdvBL</a>
&mdash; Lucid Hurricane&trade;? (@Lucid_Forever) <a href="https://twitter.com/Lucid_Forever/status/871142856873955329">June 3, 2017</a></blockquote>
<script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></center>
</div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">&times;</a></div>

&nbsp;

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<blockquote class="twitter-video" data-lang="en">
BREAKING: London Bridge cordoned off, due to a &#39;major police incident&#39;. Reports of a vehicle hitting pedestrians. (Video: <a href="https://twitter.com/joshdcaplan">@joshdcaplan</a>) <a href="https://t.co/5O3KBHj7QV">pic.twitter.com/5O3KBHj7QV</a>
&mdash; London Updates (@LondonUpdates) <a href="https://twitter.com/LondonUpdates/status/871126940593250304">June 3, 2017</a></blockquote>
<script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">&times;</a></div>

&nbsp;

&#39;This is for Allah&#39;

Witnesses described the van speeding into several pedestrians on London Bridge and then one or more knife-wielding men sprinting towards bars packed with revellers enjoying a Saturday night out.

One witness described seeing five assailants and several people said they were locked inside pubs and restaurants by police and had to come out with their hands on their heads.

Italian photographer Gabriele Sciotto, who was watching the Champions League final at the Wheatsheaf pub in Borough Market, said he saw three men shot just outside the pub.

In his picture, a man wearing combat trousers, with a shaved head and what looked like a belt with canisters attached to it could be seen on the ground with two more bodies behind him.

A man called Gerard told the BBC: &quot;They were stabbing everyone. They were running up and going &#39;This is for Allah&#39;.&quot;

Police responded rapidly with dozens of emergency vehicles and authorities led shell-shocked members of the public away from the scene.

The three suspects were shot by armed police within eight minutes of the first call to the emergency services.

The attack had harrowing echoes of an attack on London&#39;s Westminster Bridge when 52-year-old British Muslim convert Khalid Masood rammed his car into pedestrians before crashing into the barriers surrounding parliament and then stabbing a police officer to death.

&#39;Potential act of terrorism&#39;

Police said the first reports of a &quot;vehicle in collision with pedestrians on London Bridge&quot; came at 10:08 pm (2108 GMT) and were quickly followed by &quot;reports of stabbings in Borough Market,&quot; at the south end of the bridge.

Prime Minister Theresa May confirmed the &quot;terrible incident in London&quot; was being treated as &quot;a potential act of terrorism.&quot;

She will hold an emergency ministerial meeting later on Sunday and Facebook activated its safety check function for people in London to let their loved ones know they are safe.

US President Donald Trump offered his help, tweeting &quot;WE ARE WITH YOU. GOD BLESS!&quot;

French President Emmanuel Macron said France was &quot;more than ever at Britain&#39;s side.&quot;&nbsp;

US pop star Ariana Grande, whose concert in Manchester was the scene of last week&#39;s fatal terror attack, tweeted: &quot;Praying for London&quot;.

&#39;Her throat had been cut&#39;&nbsp;

Witnesses on London Bridge reported seeing a van mounting the pavement and hitting pedestrians.

&quot;There was a van that crashed into the fences on London Bridge. And then there was a man with a knife, he was running. He came down the stairs and went to the bar,&quot; Dee, 26, who was visibly in shock and declined to give her last name, told AFP.

BBC reporter Holly Jones, who on London Bridge at the time of the incident, said she saw a van driven by a man travelling &quot;at about 50 miles (80 kilometres) an hour&quot;.

Alex Shellum at the Mudlark pub near the scene of the attack said a woman had come into the bar &quot;bleeding heavily from the neck&quot;.

&quot;It appeared that her throat had been cut,&quot; he told the BBC.

&#39;Large blade&#39;

Another witness, who gave his name as Alessandro, also told BBC radio that he saw a van strike several people on London Bridge.

&quot;I saw this van going left and right, left and right, trying to catch as many people as he could. And people just tried to get out of the way of the van.

&quot;Then I tried to help people, wounded people.&quot;

Husband and wife Ben and Natalie told BBC radio they were outside Borough Market when they witnessed a stabbing.

Ben said: &quot;We saw people running away and then I saw a man in red with a large blade, at a guess 10 inches (25 centimetres) long, stabbing a man, about three times.

&quot;It looked like the man had been trying to intervene, but there wasn&#39;t much he could do. He was being stabbed quite coldly and he slumped to the ground.&quot;

Ben said the man then walked towards another pub. He said they saw a metal chair being thrown towards the man.

&quot;Then we heard three gunshots, definitely gunshots, and we ran.&quot;

(AFP)

Three assailants stabbed people at random after smashing into pedestrians in a van Saturday

Three assailants stabbed people at random after smashing into pedestrians in a van Saturday, killing six in a "terrorist" attack in central London before armed officers shot all three dead. As they rampaged through a busy night-life hub around London Bridge, the trio wore what looked like suicide vests which turned out to be "hoaxes", said Mark Rowley, head of counter-terrorism policing. "We believe that six people have died in addition to the three attackers shot dead by police," Rowley said. Forty-eight people have been taken to hospital after the attack, the London Ambulance Service said Sunday. "We took 48 patients to five hospitals across London and treated a number of others at the scene for minor injuries," the LAS said in a statement on Saturday night`s attack. The attack came just five days ahead of a general election and just minutes after the end of the Champions League final between Real Madrid and Juventus in an area teeming with bars where many fans were watching the football on television. Britain is on high alert only 12 days after a suicide bomber killed 22 people at a concert in Manchester, north-west England and ahead of Thursday's general election, in which security is a major theme. It is the latest in a string of attacks to hit Europe, including in Paris, Berlin and Saint Petersburg. #BREAKING VIDEO Several #London police officers enter pub at #LondonBridge telling people to 'get down!' pic.twitter.com/qSlczUdvBL — Lucid Hurricane™? (@Lucid_Forever) June 3, 2017 × BREAKING: London Bridge cordoned off, due to a 'major police incident'. Reports of a vehicle hitting pedestrians. (Video: @joshdcaplan) pic.twitter.com/5O3KBHj7QV — London Updates (@LondonUpdates) June 3, 2017 × 'This is for Allah' Witnesses described the van speeding into several pedestrians on London Bridge and then one or more knife-wielding men sprinting towards bars packed with revellers enjoying a Saturday night out. One witness described seeing five assailants and several people said they were locked inside pubs and restaurants by police and had to come out with their hands on their heads. Italian photographer Gabriele Sciotto, who was watching the Champions League final at the Wheatsheaf pub in Borough Market, said he saw three men shot just outside the pub. In his picture, a man wearing combat trousers, with a shaved head and what looked like a belt with canisters attached to it could be seen on the ground with two more bodies behind him. A man called Gerard told the BBC: "They were stabbing everyone. They were running up and going 'This is for Allah'." Police responded rapidly with dozens of emergency vehicles and authorities led shell-shocked members of the public away from the scene. The three suspects were shot by armed police within eight minutes of the first call to the emergency services. The attack had harrowing echoes of an attack on London's Westminster Bridge when 52-year-old British Muslim convert Khalid Masood rammed his car into pedestrians before crashing into the barriers surrounding parliament and then stabbing a police officer to death. 'Potential act of terrorism' Police said the first reports of a "vehicle in collision with pedestrians on London Bridge" came at 10:08 pm (2108 GMT) and were quickly followed by "reports of stabbings in Borough Market," at the south end of the bridge. Prime Minister Theresa May confirmed the "terrible incident in London" was being treated as "a potential act of terrorism." She will hold an emergency ministerial meeting later on Sunday and Facebook activated its safety check function for people in London to let their loved ones know they are safe. US President Donald Trump offered his help, tweeting "WE ARE WITH YOU. GOD BLESS!" French President Emmanuel Macron said France was "more than ever at Britain's side." US pop star Ariana Grande, whose concert in Manchester was the scene of last week's fatal terror attack, tweeted: "Praying for London". 'Her throat had been cut' Witnesses on London Bridge reported seeing a van mounting the pavement and hitting pedestrians. "There was a van that crashed into the fences on London Bridge. And then there was a man with a knife, he was running. He came down the stairs and went to the bar," Dee, 26, who was visibly in shock and declined to give her last name, told AFP. BBC reporter Holly Jones, who on London Bridge at the time of the incident, said she saw a van driven by a man travelling "at about 50 miles (80 kilometres) an hour". Alex Shellum at the Mudlark pub near the scene of the attack said a woman had come into the bar "bleeding heavily from the neck". "It appeared that her throat had been cut," he told the BBC. 'Large blade' Another witness, who gave his name as Alessandro, also told BBC radio that he saw a van strike several people on London Bridge. "I saw this van going left and right, left and right, trying to catch as many people as he could. And people just tried to get out of the way of the van. "Then I tried to help people, wounded people." Husband and wife Ben and Natalie told BBC radio they were outside Borough Market when they witnessed a stabbing. Ben said: "We saw people running away and then I saw a man in red with a large blade, at a guess 10 inches (25 centimetres) long, stabbing a man, about three times. "It looked like the man had been trying to intervene, but there wasn't much he could do. He was being stabbed quite coldly and he slumped to the ground." Ben said the man then walked towards another pub. He said they saw a metal chair being thrown towards the man. "Then we heard three gunshots, definitely gunshots, and we ran." (AFP)

Death toll from London Bridge attack rises to seven: Police

london-bridge-attack

London Bridge Attack, News on London Bridge Attack, stories on London Bridge Attack, articles on London Bridge Attack, London Bridge Attack stories at Wion, London Bridge Attack news, London Bridge Attack latest news

london bridge-attack