The victims were unlawfully killed, but the police and MI5 are not to blame – that is essentially the conclusion made by Judge Mark Lucraft QC, the chief coroner in the inquests into the deaths of the eight people killed in the London Bridge and Borough Market terrorist attack on June 03, 2017.
While Lucraft criticised the lack of barriers on the bridge where the vehicle-as-a-weapon incident took place, he believes the pre-attack probes of MI5 and the Metropolitan Police’s counter-terrorism unit were generally thorough and rigorous.
“On all the evidence and in the final analysis, I am not persuaded that investigative opportunities were lost which could realistically have saved the lives of those who died,” The Guardian quoted the chief coroner as stating Friday in his conclusions.
Meanwhile the City of London Police Assistant Commissioner and the Home Secretary have issued statements following the conclusion of the inquests.
“Firstly, the barbaric terrorist attack on June 03, 2017, on London Bridge and in Borough Market was a tragedy for all those killed and injured, and for their friends and families,” said Assistant Commissioner Alistair Sutherland. “On behalf of every member of the City of London Police, I want to reiterate our deepest sympathy and condolences.
“All our officers who responded to the awful events of that evening took on critical roles in trying to save life, render first aid, comfort victims, and also deal with the continued threat posed by the terrorists. They acted with professionalism, bravery, and compassion and we are proud of the actions of each and every one of them.”
Sutherland, who also thanked members of the public who helped out, stressed that preventing and tackling terrorism remains the highest priority for the City of London Police.
“We will always look to learn from incidents of this nature to see how this can be better achieved in the future,” he declared. “We will continue to work in partnership with our colleagues from the emergency services and those agencies responsible for physical security measures to address the concerns raised by the coroner and keep the City safe.”
Attackers Khuram Butt, Rachid Redouane, and Youssef Zaghba – who rammed a vehicle into pedestrians at London Bridge before going on a stabbing spree at the nearby Borough Market – were shot dead by police officers.
Commenting on Judge Lucraft’s conclusions, Home Secretary Sajid Javid stated: “The London Bridge attack was an act of pure evil carried out by a group of terrorists who sought to strike fear at the core of our tolerant and inclusive society.”
Javid, who said his thoughts continue to be with the victims and all those affected, added that since 2017 they’ve made substantial improvements when it comes to responding to terrorism. “These inquests present further opportunities to reflect on our practices and ensure we are best placed to counter the terrorist threat,” he noted in a response published by the government.
The families of those killed, however, are of the view that the 2017 attack could have been thwarted by the authorities. A victim’s parent was cited by The Guardian as saying: “Many opportunities were missed to prevent this terror attack – a prior arrest of Khuram Butt’s or [to] make a pedestrianised area of London Bridge safe.”
