TOBY MELVILLE / REUTERS

Terror Attack in London

At 14.40 (GMT) the Metropolitan Police were called to the Parliament Square in central London. Reports included a person in the river, a car hitting pedestrians and a man armed with a knife.

Witnesses saw a car drive across Westminster Bridge and hit a number of pedestrians walking on the pavement.

Here’s what we’ve gathered so far via Guardian.

  • Four people have died, including a police officer and the attacker
  • At least 20 other people were injured. Twelve were taken to hospitals with serious injuries, and eight others treated at the scene. At least two are still in a critical condition.
  • The assailant drove a car into pedestrians on Westminster Bridge killing two people, before crashing it outside Parliament and trying to enter the complex, armed with a knife.
  • He stabbed a police officer who later died from the injuries, before armed police shot him.
  • Police believe the attacker struck alone, but locked down the area around Westminster for several hours and searched nearby buildings as a precaution.
  • Prime Minister Theresa May described the attack as “sick and depraved”, but said it would not undermine British values. Parliament will sit as normal on Thursday, she said.
  • Three French high school students and four British university students were among those injured when the attacker drove into pedestrians.
  • One woman was thrown or jumped into the Thames from the bridge. She was rescued but had sustained serious injuries.
  • Three police officers returning from a ceremony, and two Romanians were also struck and wounded on the bridge.

Footage of car after crash into railings outside Parliament – video
  • Minister for counter-terrorism Tobias Ellwood, a former soldier, raced to give first aid to the police officer who later died. Pictures showed him with blood on his face as he administered CPR.
  • Scotland Yard said it had declared the attack in Westminster, which began at about 2.40pm London time, “a terrorist incident”.
  • London mayor Sadiq Khan vowed “Londoners will never be cowed by terrorism” in a video statement.
  • May, was evacuated from the parliament building within minutes and driven to Downing Street.
  • The area was locked down and the Thames closed to all vessels between Vauxhall and Embankment as the Palace of Westminster and nearby buildings were searched by armed police.
  • Some MPs were confined to the Commons chamber for nearly five hours after parliamentary business was suspended.
  • About a thousand people waited hours in Westminster Abbey and many tourists were also trapped in pods on the London Eye.
  • US president Donald Trump had spoken to May, his spokesman, Sean Spicer said, adding that the UK had the full support of the US government in responding to the attack.
  • International leaders including the German chancellor, Angela Merkel, the French president, François Hollande, and the Spanish prime minister, Mariano Rajoy have sent messages of shock and solidarity.
  • Extra police were on duty across London, and the Metropolitan police set up a casualty bureau for those worried about friends or family.

Our heart goes out to those affected by this terror attack in London.

Source https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2017/mar/22/attack-houses-parliament-london-what-we-know-so-far