Victims of London Bridge terror attack remembered in somber vigil

Dec. 2 (UPI) -- The two victims of last week's terror attack on London Bridge were remembered in a somber vigil and ceremony Monday at the city's Guildhall municipal building.

The vigil in Guildhall Yard, nearby to the site of the bridge attack, was attended by British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, London Mayor Sadiq Khan and mourners who remembered the lives of the two Britons who died in the Friday attack.

Saskia Jones, a 23-year-old University of Cambridge graduate from Stratford-upon-Avon, and Jack Merrit, 25, a fellow graduate from Cottenham, were stabbed to death near the bridge's north end by a knife-wielding attacker identified as convicted terrorist Usman Khan, 28.

Khan was shot and killed by police.

Both Jones and Merrit had been attending a University of Cambridge prisoner rehabilitation event at nearby Fishmongers' Hall, also attended by Khan, when the attack began.

"We come together this morning in condolences, but also but also in a spirit of defiance, to say that London will never be cowed, or intimidated by terrorism," Saqid Khan told the mourners. "And also to honor the memory of Saskia and Jack by dedicating our future to one not defined by hatred, but defined by hope, by unity and by love."

The vigil was presided over by Bishop of London Sarah Mullally, who called for remembrance not only for the two victims, but also for those injured in the attack as well as the academics, workers, police, medics and travelers affected by the incident.

"We stand in silence once more, following the atrocity on London Bridge last Friday," she said. "Our city, vibrant and alive, is threatened with death."