A hero who was inside Fishmongers’ Hall when the London Bridge attacker began his knife rampage grabbed a narwhal tusk from the wall to try and fight him off, it has been reported.
The man, who has not been identified, was said to have taken the five foot tusk from the wall of the venue, which had been hosting an event called ‘Learning Together’, the Mirror reported.
The apparent tusk can then be seen in dramatic footage from London Bridge, in which a group of at least six men are seen disarming the knifeman, who had stabbed several people.
Another clip shows a man with the apparent tusk attempting to fight off the attacker alongside another brave bystander, who brandished a fire extinguisher.
An unnamed hero who was inside Fishmongers’ Hall when the London Bridge attacker began his knife rampage grabbed a narwhal tusk from the wall to fend him off, it has been reported (Pictured left, the man with the apparent tusk)
In a tweet, Amy Coop said: ‘A guy who was with us at Fishmongers Hall took a 5’ narwhal tusk from the wall and went out to confront the attacker.
‘You can see him standing over the man (with what looks like a white pole) in the video. We were trying to help victims inside but that man’s a hero #LondonBridge’.
Police were called to the north side of London Bridge at 1.58pm on Friday, after reports of a stabbing near Bank station and Fishmongers’ Hall.
The attack is thought to have begun inside the venue, police said, before the suspect – later identified as Usman Khan, 28 – left the building and headed towards London Bridge.
Here, the knifeman was confronted by several members of the public, who disarmed him before armed police took control and he was shot dead.
The hero had reportedly grabbed the tusk from the wall of Fishmongers’ Hall, which was hosting an event called ‘Learning Together’ (stock image)
The apparent tusk can then be seen in dramatic footage from London Bridge (pictured)
Metropolitan Police Commissioner Cressida Dick confirmed two people, a man and a woman, had died as a result of the attack.
A further three people – a man and two women – were also injured and remain in hospital, Assistant Commissioner Neil Basu said.
Early on Saturday morning, Mr Basu confirmed the suspect to be Mr Khan, and said officers had been carrying out searches at an address in Staffordshire.
Police also confirmed the suspect was already known to authorities, and was convicted in 2012 for terrorism offences before being released from prison on licence in December 2018.
A statement said: ‘We are now in a position to confirm the identity of the suspect as 28-year-old Usman Khan, who had been residing in the Staffordshire area. As a result, officers are, tonight, carrying out searches at an address in Staffordshire.
The narwhal is a medium-sized whale that possesses a large ‘tusk’ from a protruding canine tooth
One man pointed a large stick at the terrorist while another sprayed the fire extinguisher at her
‘This individual was known to authorities, having been convicted in 2012 for terrorism offences. He was released from prison in December 2018 on licence and clearly, a key line of enquiry now is to establish how he came to carry out this attack.
‘Tragically, two people – a man and a woman – were killed during the attack. Three others – a man and two women – were also injured and remain in hospital.
‘The circumstances, as we currently understand them, are that the attacker attended an event earlier on Friday afternoon at Fishmonger’s Hall called ‘Learning Together’. We believe that the attack began inside before he left the building and proceeded onto London Bridge, where he was detained and subsequently confronted and shot by armed officers.
‘Extensive cordons are likely to remain in place for some time and I would ask the public to continue to avoid the area.’
