UPDATED-3 '>
Five people were killed and about 40 injured in London on Wednesday after a car plowed into pedestrians and a suspected Islamist-inspired attacker stabbed a policeman close to Britain's parliament, APA reports quoting Reuters.
The dead, in what police called a "marauding terrorist attack," included the assailant and the policeman he stabbed. The other three victims were among those hit by the car as it sped across Westminster Bridge before crashing into railings just outside parliament.
Prime Minister Theresa May condemned the attack as "sick and depraved".
"The location of this attack was no accident," she said in a statement outside her 10 Downing Street office late in the evening.
"The terrorist chose to strike at the heart of our capital city, where people of all nationalities, religions and cultures come together to celebrate the values of liberty, democracy and freedom of speech."
Any attempt to defeat those values through violence was "doomed to failure", May said.
Mark Rowley, Britain's most senior counter-terrorism officer, told reporters the attack started when a car was driven over Westminster Bridge, hitting and injuring members of the public and three police officers.
"A car then crashed near to parliament and at least one man, armed with a knife, continued the attack and tried to enter parliament," Rowley said.
He said the police's "fast-paced investigation" was working on the assumption that the attack was "Islamist-related terrorism". Police believed they knew the identity of the attacker but would not provide details at this stage, he said.
It was the deadliest attack in London since four British Islamists killed 52 commuters and themselves in suicide bombings on the city's transport system in July 2005, in London's worst peacetime attack.
It took place on the first anniversary of attacks by Islamist militants that killed 32 people in Brussels.
Reuters reporters inside parliament during Wednesday's attack heard loud bangs and shortly afterwards saw the knifeman and the stabbed policeman lying on the ground in a courtyard within the gates of parliament.
The dead police officer was identified as Keith Palmer, 48, with 15 years of service.
***
21:10
Four people were killed and at least 20 injured in London on Wednesday after a car plowed into pedestrians and an attacker stabbed a policeman close to the British parliament in what police called a "marauding terrorist attack", APA reports quoting Reuters.
The dead included the assailant and the policeman he stabbed, while the other two victims were among the pedestrians hit by the car as it tore along Westminster Bridge before crashing into railings just outside parliament.
"We've declared this as a terrorist incident and the counter-terrorism command are carrying out a full-scale investigation into the events today," Mark Rowley, Britain's most senior counter-terrorism officer, told reporters.
"The attack started when a car was driven over Westminster Bridge, hitting and injuring a number of members of the public, also including three police officers.
"A car then crashed near to parliament and at least one man, armed with a knife continued the attack and tried to enter parliament."
Reuters reporters inside parliament at the time heard loud bangs and shortly afterwards saw the knifeman and the stabbed policeman lying on the ground in a courtyard within the gates of parliament.
A Reuters photographer saw at least a dozen people injured on the bridge. His photographs showed people lying on the ground, some of them bleeding heavily and one under a bus.
A woman was pulled alive, but with serious injuries, from the Thames, the Port of London Authority said. The circumstances of her fall into the river were unknown.
Three French schoolchildren aged 15 or 16 were among those injured in the attack, French officials said.
The attack took place on the first anniversary of attacks by Islamist militants that killed 32 people in Brussels.
Prime Minister Theresa May was being kept updated and was due to chair a meeting of the government's crisis response committee
***
20:34
One woman has died and many people were injured, the British Press Association said, in what police are treating as a terrorist incident at the Houses of Parliament, APA reports quoting CNN.
The Leader of the House of Commons said a police officer was stabbed. Many of those hurt had "catastrophic injuries", PA said.
"Officers -- including firearms officers -- remain on the scene and we are treating this as a terrorist incident until we know otherwise," police said.
***
19:24
An assailant was shot outside the British parliament by armed police, the leader of the House of Commons said on Wednesday after loud bangs were heard and a Reuters photographer saw at least a dozen injured people on a nearby bridge, Reuters reported.
A parliamentary official earlier said two people had been shot outside parliament and the building was in lockdown. The House of Commons session was suspended and members of parliament who were in the chamber were told to remain there.
Police said they had been called to an incident at Westminster Bridge, officers were on the scene and it was being treated as a firearms incident.
Follow us on Telegram
t.me/apanewsaz
Follow us on Instagram
Follow us on TikTok
Follow us on Facebook
Follow us on X
