LONDON — The Latest on the attack on London Bridge and Borough Market (all times local):
7:15 p.m.
Relatives of London Bridge attacker Khuram Butt say they are “shocked and appalled” by his actions.
Butt, 27, was one of three men who killed eight people and injured dozens in the Saturday night attacks on and near London Bridge.
“As a family we are shocked and appalled by the actions of Khuram and his associates,” his family said in a statement on Wednesday. “Our heartfelt thoughts and prayers are with the victims and families at this time. Now, more than ever, we need to work together to stop the actions of the mindless few who claim to be acting in the name of Islam.”
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6:35 p.m.
London police say they carried out a controlled explosion as they investigated two unattended vehicles near the new U.S. embassy, but say the incident is now over and is “not terrorism-related.”
The Metropolitan Police says an area near the building was cordoned off as officers investigated the vehicles in Vauxhall.
American diplomats have not yet moved into the new building on the south side of the River Thames.
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4:15 p.m.
The former wife of one of the London Bridge attackers says she is “deeply shocked, saddened and numbed” by her ex-partner’s actions.
Charisse O’Leary issued a statement on Wednesday saying she and 30-year-old Moroccan pastry chef Rachid Redouane had a daughter together and split up about six months ago.
O’Leary condemned Redouane’s role in the attacks that “killed and injured so many innocent people” and says she did not support his beliefs.
She said: “My thoughts and efforts now are with trying to bring up my daughter with the knowledge that someday I will have to try and explain to her why her father did what he did.”
Police shot and killed Redouane and two accomplices during Saturday night’s rampage.
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3:30 p.m.
The siblings of a 39-year-old banker say their brother was one of the eight people killed in the London attacks.
Ignacio Echeverria was last seen lying on the ground near London Bridge after he confronted the assailants with a skateboard. His sister Isabel wrote on Facebook Wednesday: “My brother Ignacio tried to stop some terrorists and lost his life trying to save others.”
Echeverria’s elder brother Joaquin has told the AP that a diplomatic process had begun for relatives to see the victim’s body and to eventually take him back to Spain.
Echeverria was originally from Spain and worked in the British capital as a financial risks analyst for HSBC.
Earlier Wednesday, Spain had urged British authorities to speed up the identification of the dead and wounded in the London Bridge attacks to spare families more suffering. Spain’s government says it is “deeply saddened” after receiving confirmation by British authorities that Echeverria was among the victims.
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12:40 p.m.
The Italian mother of a London Bridge attacker says her son was always very hard on himself, never measuring up to his own rigid expectations, and had become radicalized in the last year while living in London.
Valeria Collina, a Muslim convert, says her son Youssef Zaghba had wanted to go to Syria to start a family — not to fight — since he had believed that he could find “pure Islam” there.
She told reporters on Wednesday that he had changed in the last year. She says: “When I went to England, he was a bit more rigid, but not so much. But from his face, from his look, I could tell there had been a radicalization, as they say. And this happened in England.”
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12:05 p.m.
The Italian mother of one of the London Bridge attackers says what her son did was “horrible” and that she will work to educate young people about the true meaning of Islam. Valeria Collina, a Muslim convert, told reporters on Wednesday that she had told Italian airport authorities to detain her son, Youseff Zagba, after he was stopped March 15, 2016 on his way to Turkey with a one-way ticket.
Speaking of the attack, Collina said: “It is a horrible thing, something that should not happen. It shouldn’t have happened and it should not happen again.”
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11:45 a.m.
Spain urged British authorities to speed up the identification of the dead and wounded in the London Bridge attacks to spare more suffering to the relatives who have been looking for a 39-year-old Spanish banker.
Ignacio Echeverria, who worked in the British capital as a financial risks analyst for HSBC, was last seen lying on the floor near London Bridge after he confronted assailants with a skateboard.
Interior Minister Juan Ignacio Zoido said Wednesday during an interview with Spanish public radio that he found it strange that the identification was taking so long. He said: “Especially during a terrorist attack, the victims and their relatives have to be well taken care of.”
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11:40 a.m.
French President Emmanuel Macron says a third French victim has been identified among those killed in the stabbing and van attacks in London.
Speaking in Paris, Macron said France was informed of the news on Wednesday morning.
He did not name the third victim. He said eight other French citizens were injured in the attacks.
He added: “We are paying a heavy cost in these attacks.”
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11:35 a.m.
Italy’s police chief says his force has its “documents and conscience clear” after authorities flagged one of the London Bridge attackers in the European-wide intelligence-sharing system after he was stopped in 2016 en route to Turkey with a one-way ticket.
Franco Gabrielli also says Italy understands how British authorities might have allowed Youssef Zaghba to slip through the cracks. Zaghb, an Italian-Moroccan, was one of three Islamic extremists who killed eight people and wounded dozens in truck and knife attacks near London Bridge last week.
Gabrielli said: “We have our documents and conscious clear, but because we are also responsible people, we can understand the concern, the suffering and the difficulty of those who are called to manage complicated situations.”
Gabrielli spoke to reporters Wednesday on the Sicilian island of Lampedusa, where police chiefs from nine European Union countries were meeting to discuss migration and terrorism issues. Britain did not participate.
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11:00 a.m.
Police searching for a French man who has been missing since the London Bridge attack say they have recovered a body from the River Thames.
The Metropolitan Police says the body was found Tuesday downstream from the bridge. The force says formal identification has not yet taken place, but Xavier Thomas’ next of kin have been informed.
If confirmed, Thomas would be the eighth person killed in the vehicle and knife attack. Almost 50 were injured.
Thomas, 45, was walking with his girlfriend over the bridge when the attack began on Saturday night.
Police said earlier that witness accounts suggested Thomas might have been thrown into the river.
Thomas’ girlfriend was struck and seriously injured by the van.
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6:30 a.m.
Relatives of Australian Sara Zelenak have confirmed she was killed in the London attacks over the weekend.
The 21-year-old worked as a nanny in London and had previously been described as missing after the attacks Saturday night.
Her aunt, Tara, says Zelenak’s mother Julie Wallace broke down when she learned of her daughter’s death while travelling to Britain.
Tara posted on Facebook: “Even though there was limbo for days, there was still a bit of hope.”
Seven people were killed and dozens wounded in the attacks by three assailants near London Bridge. Another Australian who died, nurse Kirsty Boden, was said to have been trying to help other victims when she was killed.
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4 a.m.
A former U.S. intelligence official has offered his nation’s condolences to three Australians killed in attacks in London and Melbourne, Australia.
Two Australians were among the seven killed in a van and knife attacks on and on Saturday. A Chinese-born Australian was killed by a gunman who was shot dead by police in what authorities described as a terrorist incident in Melbourne on Monday.
Former U.S. Director of National Intelligence Jim Clapper said in a speech to Australia’s National Press Club: “Unfortunately, on a serious note, I am compelled to acknowledge the tragic loss of two Australian citizens in the mindless, heinous terrorist attack in London.”
He added: “On behalf of the United States, I want to offer heartfelt condolences and prayers and similar thoughts go out to the family of the man killed in Melbourne.”
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3 a.m.
Prince Harry has spoken in praise of Australians living in London after two of them were confirmed to have been killed in the van and knife attacks there over the weekend.
Harry said: “Australians form an important and vibrant part of the fabric of life in London and we are reminded of that in good times and bad.” He said his heart went out to the victims, their friends and families.
Authorities have said Australian nurse Kirsty Boden was trying to help other victims when she was killed in the attacks Saturday night on London Bridge and in Borough Market. The identity of the second Australian among the seven dead has not been released.
Harry was in Sydney on Wednesday to launch the 2018 Invictus Games. He created the sporting competition for injured and sick servicemen and women after his two tours of duty in Afghanistan.
The Associated Press
