The SAS, the terrorists and the Cathedral

SAS unit nicknamed Blue Thunder landing on London Bridge

Special forces were despatched to Southwark Cathedral, which has been a place of worship since 1106, and a cathedral since 1905

An SAS unit, also known as Blue Thunder, had to land on London Bridge in order to provide support to the police after last June's terror attacks in which at least eight people and the three terrorists were killed.  Special Reconnaissance Regiment troops also came in.

They came after armed police officers shot dead Khuram Butt, 27, Rachid Redouane, 30, and Youssef Zaghba, 22, in Borough Market. 

In the chaos and melee that followed the killings, the police and military had to establish whether there were any other terrorists in the area.

This led to specialist teams being sent to nearby Southwark Cathedral.  The building was damaged as they gained entry.

A spokesperson for the cathedral stated that a churchyard gate, dating to the late 19th century, was affected.  The controlled explosion damaged a modern glazed door and the glass was shattered on a matching internal door.  The door to the sacristy, which dates from about 1906, was also hit.

The cathedral has now rightly applied to the Metropolitan Police’s insurance and claims service to recover the cost of the damage.