Police raid flats where neighbours believe London Bridge attacker may have lived

Several people were detained by police during an armed operation at some east London flats where neighbours said one of the London Bridge attackers may have lived.

At least four police vans were stationed behind a cordon outside the Elizabeth Fry flats in King’s Road, Barking, and residents reported hearing bangs on Sunday morning.

Some neighbours said a photograph of one of the attackers resembled a man who lived in one of the flats.

Veronica Oladapo, 45, who lives in the neighbouring Forresters Apartments, said she left her building at around 7am to see police taking four men and a woman away.

She said she saw two men and a woman being taken away by ambulance after other neighbours reported hearing shots fired, while two men were later led away by police.

She said: “When I came out they were already taking some of the casualties away.

“There were three of them … the ambulance came and took them away.

“There were another two sitting down inside.”

One of the men had a hood pulled over his head while another one used a jacket to hide his face, she said.

Damien Pettit, who lives in the same block in east London, was shown a photo of one of the alleged attackers.

He told Sky News he could not be certain it was the same person, but that it looked like a man who had lived in the block for three years.

Mr Pettit said: “If it is, I am completely shocked. He was lived here for three years.

“He is a member of the community, it very much is that, a very affable person so it is a complete shock.”

Adding that the man he knew had children, he continued: “I am kind of absorbing this at the moment because I can’t understand how it could have been him.

“He has always tried to help in terms of what is going on in the area.

“He always sets up community groups in terms of the homelessness that is happening here, so to hear that he is now complicit with this, it is very hard to stomach.”

Mr Pettit said the man had a London accent, used to work for TfL and worked at a local gym.

More than five hours after the first arrests, a woman in a burka was led into a police van parked outside the flats.

It then drove away with sirens blazing, followed by three other vans.