London Bridge attack inquests: CCTV shows stab victims fighting Isis terrorists as passers-by throw chairs
Knife-wielding attackers pelted with bottles, chairs and bread crates, after being punched and kicked by victims
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Your support makes all the difference.Inquests into the London Bridge terror attack have been shown CCTV of victims fighting terrorists even after they were stabbed.
The Old Bailey was played graphic footage showing PC Charlie Guenigault kicking ringleader Khuram Butt as he was being knifed on the ground.
Another clip showed a man throwing a drink over attacker Rachid Redouane after being stabbed in the back, as a passer-by launched a chair at terrorists.
Millwall fan Roy Larner was filmed fighting the attackers in the Black and Blue restaurant, remaining standing in a boxing stance even after being stabbed multiple times in the chest.
In the aftermath of the attack, Mr Larner said he shouted "f*** you, I'm Millwall" during the assault.
Footage caught on CCTV cameras, dashcams, people's phones and police bodyworn cameras showed chaos as the trio of terrorists roamed around Borough Market.
The court heard that at one point, they started moving towards unarmed police officers shouting "Allah akbar".
Footage showed the officers making desperate radio calls for armed backup before turning and telling members of the public to run, fleeing with them.
An armed unit from City of London Police arrived at Borough Market shortly after, as the terrorists stabbed the last of the 56 victims killed or injured.
Even as three officers got out of their car and took aim, footage played to the Old Bailey showed members of the public standing metres away throwing missiles.
Two bakers had run to the scene with large bread crates, while drinkers were pelting them with chairs and glass bottles.
Police shouted at the public to take cover as armed officers opened fire on the terrorists in a hail of bullets.
The court heard that officers shouted warnings before Butt, Redouane and Youssef Zaghba charged towards them, still carrying their knives and wearing fake suicide vests.
The three attackers were taken down 10 minutes after starting the attack, and shot multiple times minutes later as they lay on the ground.
Footage showed Redouane's legs moving and Det Supt Becky Riggs told the court that officers feared the attackers and could detonate the vests.
They were later found to be fake by explosive ordnance disposal teams.
A man in a nearby pub was accidentally shot in the head in the fusillade but survived, the court heard.
The Old Bailey previously heard emotional tributes to the eight victims from their families.
The area around Borough Market had been swarming with Londoners and tourists on a warm summer evening, when pubs were packed out for the Champions League final.
The court heard Ignacio Echeverria, a financial crime analyst from Spain, beat the terrorists with a skateboard after seeing them attacking a woman on the ground.
Australian nurse Kirsty Boden was stabbed to death after rushing to help another victim, French waiter Alexandre Pigeard.
The court heard that the 26-year-old was attacked while “rushing to see if he could help” victims of what he believed to be an accidental crash.
French chef Sebastien Belanger, 36, had been drinking at the same restaurant and was cornered by all three of the attackers but “bravely fought back” as he was stabbed to death.
The court heard that Canadian social worker Christine Archibald, 30, had kissed her husband-to-be and told him “I love you” moments before being killed by the van.
Xavier Thomas, 45, was on the phone to his son as he walked across the River Thames on holiday with his girlfriend when he was hit by the terrorists' vehicle.
Australian au pair Sara Zelenak was on a “trip of a lifetime” when she was knifed to death while on a night out with a friend nearby, her family said.
And dual British-Filipino national James McMullan, 32, had been watching football at a pub when he went outside for a cigarette and was caught in the attack.
The attackers' deaths will be examined before a jury, in separate inquests coming after an estimated eight weeks of hearings for their victims.
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Being questioned by a lawyer representing some of the victims' families, D/Supt Riggs said that Zaghba was believed to be the driver of the van
Gareth Patterson QC said the terrorists managed to get hold of a 2.5 tonne vehicle and that "even not if driven at an excessive speed", it was deadly
"In March, there were no obstacles in place when Khalid Masood got his hands on a rented Hyundai" that was used in the Westminster attack, he says.
"In the weeks that followed that shocking attack using a 4x4 on that bridge, there were questions raised in the media and public over how it was that a terrorist was able to rent such a powerful vehicle.
"But here we were more than two months later and there wasn't a single obstacle for a terrorist renting a vehicle."
Mr Patterson it only took an hour of phone calls for Khuram Butt to hire the van from Hertz, even though he had been under investigation by both MI5 and counterterror police
Mr Patterson says that for years, terrorist propaganda magazines encouraged the use of victims
He said that al-Qaeda's Inspire magazine included advice on vehicles and that the technique was an "ongoing serious problem that we face".
Mr Patterson said Isis's Rumiyah magazine also released advice on vehicle attacks
Mr Patterson said that days later, Isis's Rumiyah propaganda magazine celebated the London Bridge attack, saying it was on "crusaders"
He tells the court that although there is a voluntary rental security scheme, there is "nothing of any substance to this day that stops you getting your hands on a vehicle like that if you want to commit a terrorist attack"
This piece, written after the Barcelona attack, gives some background on Isis's calls for vehicle attacks
Mr Patterson said victim Xavier Thomas appeared to have his right arm raised when the van hit, and was "doing all he could do to get [his girlfriend, Christine Delcros] out of the way".
D/Supt Riggs says that seems correct.
Mr Patterson said that "if barriers had been in place to protect pedestrians, Xavier Thomas and Christine Archibald may still be with us"
He asks if the Metropolitan Police had received a report warning that London Bridge was vulnerable to attack
Mr Patterson says a security company did sound the warning in a report before the attack, but D/Supt Riggs said the Met was not made aware of that report until February 2018
The inquest has resumed.
Mr Patterson says there were 29 bags of gravel inside the van and asks whether it was used to increase the weight of the van
D/Supt Riggs says that is "speculation" but acknowledges it would increase the weight. "Some [terrorist propaganda] magazines have suggested that," she adds
But says there is no evidence that the terrorists read al-Qaeda's Inspire magazine
Mr Patterson says James McMullan did not suffer any "fall type injuries" that would suggest he fell from the road to the courtyard below the van, where he was found
He says there is no evidence of exactly where he was attacked
Mr Patterson said the terrorists shouted "Allahu Akbar ... again and again" as well as "this is for Allah, we're doing this for Allah" and calling victims "disbelievers"
Mr Patterson notes several Isis-inspired terror attacks in Europe preceeding the attacks. He says the attackers went "directly" to Boro Bistro, which was a French-owned restaurant, serving French cuisine with many French customers
D/Supt Riggs says there was no evidence that the bistro was targeted because of the connection to France, but acknowledges that as their phones were not recovered some potential evidence has not been examined
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