Britain’s Prime Minister Theresa May has said that the country is experiencing a “new trend” in the terrorism threat after experiencing three fatal attacks in the space of just three months, hinting at a broad crackdown on extremism in the country.
Speaking on Downing Street Sunday morning, May called for a shakeup in counter-extremism and counter-terrorism efforts, suggesting that there would be a review of the current powers and laws in place. “We cannot and must not pretend that things can continue as they are,” she said, later adding: “Enough is enough.”
On Saturday evening, three assailants struck pedestrians on London Bridge with a van before going on a stabbing spree in nearby Borough Market, armed with knives and long blades. At least 7 people died, and 48 were hospitalized after the attack. The suspects were shot dead by police eight minutes after the initial emergency call.
The attack came less than two weeks after a suicide bomber in Manchester killed 22 people at an Ariana Grande concert, and less than three months after another vehicular attack on Westminster Bridge in London that killed 5 people. full story
Additional Quote from speech: “While the recent attacks are not connected by common networks, they are connected in one important sense – they are bound together by the single, evil ideology of islamist extremism that preaches hatred, sows divisions and promotes sectarianism. It is an ideology that claims our western values of freedom, democracy and human rights are incompatible with the religion of Islam.”
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