Yahoo News 
Timeline of terror: Police reveal exact movements of London Bridge killers hours before attack
The head of the Metropolitan Police’s counter-terrorism unit has released details of how the events of the London Bridge attack took place on June 3.
Commander Dean Haydon revealed that, on Saturday morning, ringleader Khuram Butt tried to hire a 7.5-tonne lorry online but did not provide payment details, meaning the rental did not go ahead.
The jihadi, who worked on the London Underground for six months, despite having appeared in a documentary about Islamist extremism, instead resorted to ‘plan B’ and rented a white van.
Detectives believe that many more people could have died if Butt had successfully rented the lorry.
Here is how the attack unfolded:
5.47pm — Butt receives a text confirming the hire of a white Renault van, using a recently activated mobile phone, for 5.50pm Saturday to 10am on Sunday.
6.30pm — Butt, Youssef Zaghba and Rachid Redouane drive in a red Corsa to Harrold Hill, Romford, to pick up the van.
7.17pm — They arrive at an address in Barking, where Zaghba lived.
7.38pm — The trio leaves in the van heading into central London.
9.58pm — They drive over London Bridge. The van then travels over the bridge three times, and on the third occasion mounts the pavement and collides with pedestrians.
10.07pm — The van crashes into railings on the south side of the bridge, near the Barrowboy and Banker pub. The three men, armed with knives, run into Borough Market and stab numerous people, including two police officers.
10.08pm — Police receive the first call about the incident.
10.16pm — All three attackers are shot dead by eight firearms officers who discharged an unprecedented 46 rounds.
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On Saturday, the group — made up of Butt, Rachid Redouane and Youssef Zaghba — killed eight and injured dozens more in the attack in central London.
It is thought three victims were killed on the bridge before the attackers left the vehicle and stabbed five people to death around Borough Market.
It has emerged that multiple petrol bombs were found in the van used in the outrage, while a copy of the Koran opened at a page “describing martyrdom” was discovered in the east London bolthole where the three men plotted the attack.
Commander Haydon said: “Because of the fact [Butt’s] payment method failed he couldn’t get hold of that lorry. My view at the moment is that he then went to plan B and ended up hiring the van instead.”
Yesterday, the partner of a Frenchman killed in the London Bridge terror attack described him as an “exceptional man” who “did everything for his children”.
Xavier Thomas, 45, was visiting London when he was caught up in the attack.
