British police said Friday they were dealing with an incident on London Bridge involving a call about a stabbing, and witnesses have reported hearing gunshots.
The Metropolitan Police force tweeted “a number of people” may have been injured. A man had been detained, they said.
BBC reporter John McManus was in the area and said he saw figures grappling on the bridge. He said: “I thought it was initially a fight,” but then shots rang out.
London Ambulance Service said it had crews on the scene.
Police could be seen ushering people away from the northern end of the bridge, which links the city’s business district with the south bank of the River Thames.
Police were called at 1:58pm to a stabbing at premises near to London Bridge. <br><br>Emergency services attended, including officers from the Met and <a href=”https://twitter.com/CityPolice?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”>@CityPolice</a>.<br><br>A man has been detained by police. We believe a number of people have been injured. Further info to follow.
—@metpoliceuk
People were being urged to stay away from the area by police.
Cars and buses on the busy bridge were at a standstill, with a white truck stopped diagonally across the lanes.
British Transport Police said London Bridge station, one of the city’s busiest rail hubs, was closed and trains were not stopping there.
London Bridge was the scene of a June 2017 attack when ISIS-inspired attackers ran down people on the bridge, killing two, before stabbing several people to death in nearby Borough Market.
In March 2017, an attacker fatally struck four people with a car on nearby Westminster Bridge and then fatally stabbed a police officer before security forces shot and killed him in a courtyard outside Parliament.
