Police name two London attackers

The police have identified them as Pakistan-born Khuram Butt, 27, and Rachid Redouane, 30.

The Met’s Counter Terrorism Command have released the names and photographs of two men shot dead by police following the terrorist attack on London Bridge and Borough Market on Saturday.

"While formal identification has yet to take place, detectives believe they now know the attackers’ identities. They believe two of the men are Khuram Shazad Butt and Rachid Redouane, both from Barking, east London," the police said in a statement.

All the three men were shot dead by armed officers.

"Khuram Shazad Butt, 27, (20.4.90), was a British citizen who was born in Pakistan. Rachid Redouane, 30 (31.7.86) had claimed to be Moroccan and Libyan. He also used the name Rachid Elkhdar, with a different date of birth of 31.7.91. Inquiries are ongoing to confirm the identity of their accomplice," read the statement issued by the police.

Khuram Shazad Butt was known to the police and MI5.

However, there was no intelligence to suggest that this attack was being planned and the investigation had been prioritised accordingly. The other named man, Rachid Redouane, was not known, the police said in the statement.

The three attackers, armed with knives, continued into the Borough Market area, stabbing numerous people. The attackers were then confronted by the firearms officers and eight police firearms officers discharged their weapons.

Meanwhile, 12 people arrested after the incident as part of the investigation have now been released without charge.

Assistant Commissioner Mark Rowley said: "The investigation is progressing at pace, and officers from the Met’s Counter Terrorism Command, the National Counter Terrorism Policing network are working relentlessly with UK intelligence partners to piece together exactly what occurred."

"We have already made significant progress, but of course, there remains much more to do," he said.

Image: Metropolitan Police website