The London Bridge attackers were filmed laughing, joking and hugging outside a gym in Ilford as they plotted their rampage just five days before the attack.

A source close to the gym said that management had told him that Khuram Butt, 27, and Youssef Zaghba, 22, would meet there.

In a video obtained by The Times, Butt, Zaghba, and Rachid Redouane, 30, are seen gathering outside Ummah Fitness Centre, in Ilford Lane, shortly after midnight on May 29.

In the footage, Redouane, wearing an Adidas jacket, is seen leaving his phone on a pile of building materials before the trio disappear for around 10 minutes.

He picks up his phone when they return, suggesting the plotters may have been wary that their phones were bugged.

Appearing jovial, Zaghba hugs Butt before Redouane and Zaghba walk away whilst Butt enters the gym, which is open until 3am during Ramadan.

Eight people were killed when the three drove into pedestrians on London Bridge before stabbing people.

This morning, the gym was cordoned off and police remained outside.

Officers from the Met’s Counter Terrorism Command confirmed that searches of a residential address in Ilford, as well as a business address in Ilford are ongoing.

Earlier this week, the gym posted a statement on its door condemning the attacks and urging the community to stand together.

“We at UFC gym are shocked and saddened by the events that occurred at London Bridge and Borough on Saturday night. There is never any justification for indiscriminately killing civilians,” the letter read.

“We have hundreds of people training at UFC gym each week. We are a welcoming and open part of the community.”

The gym said that while Butt did “occasionally train” there, it did not know him well or see anything of concern.

It added that it will of course, help the police in any way it can.

The notice finished with: “In these challenging times it is important we all stand united. We must avoid scapegoating any part of the community.”