Terrorist offensive against London on eve of the election

Though is confused, it is now clear that London has been the target of two separate though coordinated terror attacks tonight, one involving a white van which intentionally attacked pedestrians on London Bridge, and another involving stabbing attacks in Borough Market, south of the river Thames.

Reports of a third incident in Vauxhall are being discounted by the police, who say that it is not connected to the other two.

The police report that both incidents are still ongoing, and within the last hour several explosions have been heard.

There is no word yet of the number of casualties, though it is known that many have been injured and that there are several dead.  The Daily Mail is putting the current death toll at seven, though this has not yet been confirmed by the police.

These incidents unlike the previous terrorist incident in London in March on Westminster Bridge bear the clear hallmarks of careful planning, with more than one person involved.  As such they are more similar to the recent terrorist incident in Manchester than to the Westminster Bridge attack.

Following the Manchester attack I said that all the indications were that it was the work of an ISIS terrorist cell, which was almost certainly still in existence, creating the prospect of further attacks. Over the course of the following days the British police confirmed that an ISIS terrorist cell was responsible for the Manchester attack, though they gave indications following subsequent arrests that it had been largely broken up.

Unfortunately any optimism following the arrests which took place following the Manchester attack that the terrorist offensive ISIS has launched in Britain has been nipped in the bud.  Whilst it is impossible to say at the moment that the attacks on London tonight are the work of the same terrorist cell which was responsible for the Manchester attack, it seems overwhelmingly likely that the London attacks are the work of Jihadi terrorists affiliated to ISIS, and that a planned ISIS terror offensive against Britain is ongoing.

As to the purpose of the terrorist attacks on London tonight, like the attack on Manchester they are unquestionably connected to the British general election, with ISIS seeking to intrude itself in its usual murderous way into the British political conversation.

The next few hours should provide greater clarity both as to the number of terrorists involved in the incidents in London tonight, and the severity of the attacks they have carried out.  As to who was responsible for the attacks, I have no doubt that a claim of responsibility from ISIS will come shortly.