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'THIS IS FOR ISLAM'

Mum reveals London Bridge attacker yelled ‘about Islam’ before knifing her 23-year-old son in the stomach outside pub

Elizabeth

One of the three terrorists involved in last night's attack in London shouted "this is for my family, this is for Islam" as he stabbed a lad outside a bar.

Daniel O'Neill is being treated in hospital after falling victim to the knife-wielding terrorist gang, with one of the men plunging a blade into his stomach.

 Terrorists attacked at London Bridge on Saturday night, killing seven people
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Terrorists attacked at London Bridge on Saturday night, killing seven peopleCredit: Splash News
 Daniel O'Neill was hospitalised with a seven-inch scar across his stomach
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Daniel O'Neill was hospitalised with a seven-inch scar across his stomach

The 23-year-old had briefly stepped outside the bar he was drinking in with a friend and his girlfriend near London Bridge at around 10pm.

In the few moments he was on the street, Mr O'Neill was attacked by one of the extremists, with his shocked mum speaking of a seven-inch scar stretching from her son's stomach to his back.

In an interview with BBC News, mum Elizabeth said: "He had just stepped outside the bar for a second and a man ran up to him and said ‘this is for my family, this is for Islam’ and put a knife in him.

 Daniel's mum Elizabeth branded her son's attackers 'barbaric' and 'absolute cowards'
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Daniel's mum Elizabeth branded her son's attackers 'barbaric' and 'absolute cowards'

“He’s got a seven inch scar going from his belly round to his back. I’m still in shock. I can’t quite believe it’s happened.

“These people say they are doing this in the name of God which is an absolute joke.

“They are callous they are barbaric and they are absolute cowards. We will carry on as normal.”

Mr O'Neill was one of 48 patients taken to hospitals across the city in the aftermath of the attacks on London Bridge and at nearby Borough Market.

Last night 21 of those patients remained in a critical condition.

 Police officers and members of the emergency services attend to a person injured in a terror attack on London Bridge on Saturday night
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Police officers and members of the emergency services attend to a person injured in a terror attack on London Bridge on Saturday nightCredit: Getty Images

Witnesses spoke of seeing a van veer on and off the pavement across the bridge, ploughing through crowds at 50mph.

Three men wearing stab-proof vests then fled the vehicle, reportedly stabbing revellers in Borough Market's pubs and restaurants at random.

Dad-of-three Brett Freeman, from Dagenham, east London, was another victim of the knife attack, having been repeatedly stabbed in the murderous carnage.

A friend of the Mr Freeman posted a photo of the bloodied young man lying in a hospital bed, hooked up to machines, with the caption: "He's a soldier".

Friends said doctors worked to stop Brett's lungs filling with blood and that is he now recovering.

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