London police release photos of fake suicide belts used in London Bridge attack

When the three London Bridge attackers drove across London Bridge and then headed into Borough Market waving knives, they were seen to be wearing what looked like genuine suicide belts. London Metropolitan Police on Saturday released photos of the fake belts and other information relating to the attackers.

As noted by USA Today, authorities in London believe the attackers may have been planning a “siege situation” as part of their terror rampage.

The fake suicide belts were made up of leather belts, with water bottles covered in tape attached. According to police, they look very authentic.

Fake suicide belts are something new

The leader of the investigation, Commander Dean Haydon of the London police, said this is something new. Haydon said authorities have not seen this tactic in the U.K. before, saying the terrorists had strapped on the fake suicide belts to create “maximum fear.”

Haydon also theorized the attackers may have seen the belts as a protection from being shot by police. However, all three attackers were still wearing the belts after being shot dead by armed police.

Haydon added that the fact the suicide belts looked real makes the bravery of the officers and members of the public who tried to tackle the terrorists all the more remarkable.

USA Today quotes a Sunday Express journalist, Geoff Ho, who was attacked and stabbed during the onslaught. He said he tried to stop the attackers entering the bar he was in at the time and described their eyes as being “full of rage.” Ho said he couldn’t attack them as one of them might detonate what he believed was a genuine suicide belt and kill them all.

Terrorists were planning a much larger assault

As investigators uncover more information relating to the attacks, it is becoming clear that the three terrorists, Khuram Butt, Youssef Zaghba and Rachid Redouane had been planning a much larger assault.

As reported by Blasting News, London police said on Saturday that Butt had tried to rent a much larger, 7.5-ton truck on June 3, but his payment was not accepted, leading him to rent the smaller white van used in the attack.

In that report it was also mentioned that the terrorists had used highly unusual pink ceramic knives in their stabbing attack. Police released photos of the knives in the hope that a member of the public might recognize the knives and know about their source. The Metropolitan police also revealed that there were a number of petrol bombs in the van, as well as two blow torches, which the three attackers fortunately didn’t get to use in their attack.

Khuram Butt was out on bail

While investigating the backgrounds of the attackers, it was revealed Butt was out on bail relating to a fraud case from October 2016. According to police he was never charged as there was insufficient evidence. However CNN reports that British counterterrorism sources have told them the arrest was a ploy, part of a joint effort by M15 and British police to keep Islamist extremists off the street, by arresting them for crimes not related to terrorism.

Butt, Redouane and Zaghba killed eight people and injured dozens more on June 3 when they plowed into pedestrians on London Bridge and then proceeded into Borough Market where they stabbed members of the public who were out enjoying their Saturday night.