Boris Johnson
Boris JohnsonReuters

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson and London Mayor Sadiq Khan on Friday praised the ordinary Londoners who showed "breath-taking heroism" in disarming the knife-wielding attacker on London Bridge, Reuters reported.

Police shot the attacker dead, in what they said was a terror attack. Two people were killed in the attack.

Videos which circulated on social media showed a crowd of people who had tackled the man to the ground, before being moved away by police who shot him.

"I ... want pay tribute to the extraordinary bravery of those members of the public who physically intervened to protect the lives of others," said Johnson. "For me they represent the very best of our country and I thank them on behalf of all of our country."

He added, “This country will never be cowed, or divided, or intimidated by this sort of attack.”

Khan said those who confronted the attacker would not have known that a bomb device strapped to his body was a hoax.

"What's remarkable about the images we've seen is the breath-taking heroism of members of the public who literally ran towards danger not knowing what confronted them," Khan told reporters.

"They really are the best of us," he added.

London Bridge was the scene of a terrorist attack in June of 2017, in which Islamic State (ISIS)-inspired attackers ran down people on the bridge, killing two. They then proceeded to stab several people to death in nearby Borough Market.

There have been several attacks in Britain in recent years, including a mass stabbing in Manchester in October that left five people injured.

Manchester was also the city in which a 2017 suicide bombing took place after an Ariana Grande concert. 22 people were killed and 59 wounded in that attack.

In January, on New Year’s Eve, a knifeman who reportedly shouted “Allah” stabbed three people in at the Victoria Station in Manchester before being arrested.

(Arutz Sheva’s North American desk is keeping you updated until the start of Shabbat in New York. The time posted automatically on all Arutz Sheva articles, however, is Israeli time.)