Police face questions on what they knew of London attackers

Questions have begun to swirl about the capabilities of Britain’s security agencies after community members said they had reported at least one of the suspected London attackers to the police.

After police raided a housing complex in Barking, east London, and made several arrests, residents recognized a familiar face among the three dead attackers and one said she had reported his behavior to police.

Forensic officers work at the scene of a terror attack at London Bridge in London on Sunday, June 4. At least seven people were killed in attacks late Saturday as a van mowed down pedestrians on London Bridge before attackers then stabbed victims at nearby Borough Market.

Counterterrorism officers patrol near the scene of the attack on London Bridge. When speaking to the media on Sunday, British Prime Minister Theresa May did not announce any increase in the UK terror threat level.

A woman reacts after asking a Police officer to lay flowers near London Bridge as a tribute to the victims of the attack.

UK police officers on Sunday continue their investigation into the terror attacks on London Bridge and in a nearby restaurant district. The attacks on June 3 came days before a general election and two weeks after 22 people were killed when a suicide bomber targeted an Ariana Grande concert in Manchester.

Prime Minister Theresa May makes a statement at 10 Downing Street, following a Cobra security meeting in response to Saturday night's terror attack. Violence must "never be allowed to disrupt the democratic process," May said, adding that Thursday's general election will go ahead.

Abandoned buses line London Bridge as the scene remains under investigation following the attack. Metropolitan Police Assistant Commissioner Mark Rowley said in a statement Sunday that a white van struck pedestrians on London Bridge. Attackers then left the vehicle and "a number of people were stabbed, including an on-duty British Transport Police officer who was responding to the incident at London Bridge," said Rowley. The officer received serious but not life-threatening injuries.

Counter terrorism officers move up an escalator under The Shard, an iconic highrise near the scene of last night's London Bridge attack.

A group of police forensic officers walks in the street outside Borough Market.

People lie on the ground after being detained by police at Elizabeth Fry apartments in Barking, east London, which officers raided Sunday, June 4, following Saturday's terror attack at London Bridge and Borough Market.

A bouquet of flowers left near the police cordon at London Bridge on June 4.

A view from above shows where a van struck pedestrians on London Bridge -- and then crashed into a barrier.

This image, from London's Borough Market, shows two of the attackers after they were shot by London police. The attackers drove a white van into pedestrians on London Bridge, leaving bodies lying in the roadway, a witness to the incident told CNN.

Armed police patrol near London Bridge on Saturday, June 3. Mayor Sadiq Khan said it was a "deliberate and cowardly attack" on Londoners enjoying Saturday night out.

The white van used in the attack is seen near London Bridge.

Police carry out a search near empty buses on London Bridge, Saturday, June 3.

A person is treated for injuries near London Bridge.

Members of the public flee after reports of the incident involving a vehicle and pedestrians.

Police and emergency responders attend to an injured person.

An armed Police officer gestures after the attack in central London.

Guests from the Premier Inn Bankside Hotel are evacuated following the attacks.

A woman wearing an emergency blanket talks on her phone at London Bridge train station. London Bridge Tube station was closed and London Bridge was closed in both directions.

Armed police raid The Blue Eyed Maid on Borough High Street.

Debris and abandoned cars remain at the scene of one of the incidents.

Police sniffer dogs are seen at London Bridge.

A helicopter flies near London Bridge.

People are led to safety on Southwark Bridge, away from London Bridge.

London Bridge terror attack

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Barking resident Erica Gasperri said she went to the police after she saw a man, believed to be the attacker, teaching the local children about Islam.

“All of a sudden we saw this individual speaking to the kids … showing them how to pray. He was standing over there, I could see them from my window,” Gasperri told CNN’s Melissa Bell.

Gasperri said that she confronted the man and complained that little was done after she reported him to the police.

Residents at the complex said that the man in question was quiet and kept to himself.

People in the area said the man had joined a mosque nearby after he had an argument with the community at another and abruptly left.

British authorities here have so far refused either to confirm or deny the man’s identity, but have said they have identified all three attackers and will name them in due course.

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Published 10:24 AM EDT, Mon June 5, 2017

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Baker's shocking video inside Borough Market

00:45 - Source: CNN

The BBC’s Asian Network interviewed a man who said he knew one of the attackers and had reported him to the police. It was not clear if he was speaking about the same man Gasperri knew.

“We spoke about a particular attack that happened and, like most radicals, he had a justification for anything - everything and anything.

“And that day I realized that I need to contact the authorities,” he said, without giving his name.

He said that the police had not taken action.

“I did my bit … but the authorities didn’t do their bit.”

Police ‘completely overwhelmed’

The accusations were made as Prime Minister Theresa May came under fire for slashing some 20,000 police posts across the country is a money-saving exercise.

May was Home Secretary and oversaw security at the time the Conservative government made the cuts to the police force.

The police have been praised for their quick response to Saturday’s attack, storming bars and restaurants in Borough Market to keep members of the public safe.

But Britain’s most senior police officer, Cressida Dick, said that as the threat to the country’s security changes, police resourcing and strategy should be revised.

The Soufan Group, a security intelligence consultancy, said that security services in the UK were facing “a threat matrix that, like in other European countries such as France and Germany, completely overwhelms their ability to effectively assess and prioritize threats.”

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Published 10:24 AM EDT, Mon June 5, 2017

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Clarissa Ward describes how London is reacting

01:25 - Source: CNN

“With as many as 3,000 or more individuals considered serious threats – and thousands more at various other levels of concern – the UK’s intelligence and security organizations are struggling to keep up with a problem that shows no sign of abating.”

The Soufan Group’s Stephen White, who worked as a senior UK police officer for 26 years, explained that weighing up which reports to respond to was a complex task for the police.
“It does look like tips should have been followed, but if they have to respond every time a member of the community waves a black flag or expresses radical view, we have to ask, do they have the resources to put everyone under surveillance?”

“The Issue here is that there seems to have been more than one piece of information reported to police, so we will need to wait and see what happened with that information. Was it not acted on? Was there a proportionate judgement? Was it not taken seriously enough? It is complex, and there are a lot of questions to answer.”