London attackers had Molotov cocktails, tried to hire truck

The van used in the London Bridge attacks on Saturday.

LONDON: The assailants behind a terror attack in London last week had also prepared a stash of Molotov cocktails and initially tried to hire a truck rather than a van to mow down pedestrians, British police said on Saturday.

In a statement, the Metropolitan Police said forensic officers examining the white rental van found "13 wine bottles with rags wrapped around them and believed to be filled with a flammable liquid," as well as two blowtorches.