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Updated | Five dead including police officer and attacker in London terror attack

Officer dies from stab wounds, police shoot dead attacker in assault on Houses of Parliament in London; four others dead and at least 20 injured on Westminster Bridge in what has been confirmed as a terrorist incident

Last updated on 23 March 2017, 4:30am
5 min read
Staff were told to remain in their offices inside the House of Commons as gun shots were heard outside
Staff were told to remain in their offices inside the House of Commons as gun shots were heard outside

Five people died after a single terrorist attacked Westminster, stabbing a police officer to death as he tried to storm parliament, and killing three members of the public as he careered through the heart of the capital in a 4x4 vehicle.

The assailant mounted his car on the pavement on Westminster Bridge and mowed into around a dozen pedestrians, before continuing around the corner ramming into the gates of Westminster just around the corner.

The woman was one of the people among several people struck by a car. She died on the scene.

The French Prime Minster Bernard Cazeneuve confirmed that a number of French students were among some 20 casualities on Westminster Bridge.

Security sources described the suspected assailant as a middle-aged Asian man. He is understood to have exited the car, reported to be a four by four, before attacking the police officer with a seven-to-eight inch knife.

A car mowed down several people on Westminister Bridge before crashing into the railing of the Palace of Westminister
A car mowed down several people on Westminister Bridge before crashing into the railing of the Palace of Westminister

The police officer was seen wounded but moving, after falling to the ground clutching his arm or shoulder.

Police officers flooded the area, firing at least three shots.

Commons Leader David Lidington told MPs the "alleged assailant was shot by armed police" following a "serious" incident.

Lidington acknowledged reports of "further violent incidents in the vicinity of the Palace of Westminster”, adding that “I hope colleagues on all sides will appreciate that it'd be wrong of me to go into further details until we have confirmation from the police and from the House security authorities about what is going on."

Pictures have emerged of the man believed to be the suspect in a terror attack on the Houses of Parliament
Pictures have emerged of the man believed to be the suspect in a terror attack on the Houses of Parliament
Pictures show a knife lying on the floor near the man, who appears to be dressed in black
Pictures show a knife lying on the floor near the man, who appears to be dressed in black

A sitting in the Commons was suspended, with police sealing off the area around the incident. Staff inside Parliament were told to stay inside their offices.

Quentin Letts, the Daily Mail’s parliamentary sketchwriter, said he saw a man in black attack a police officer outside Parliament before being shot two or three times as he tried to storm into the House of Commons, according to the Press Association.

“I saw a thick-set man in black clothes come through the gates into New Palace Yard, just below Big Ben. He had something in his hand, it looked like a stick of some sort, and he was challenged by a couple of policemen in yellow jackets. And one of the yellow-jacketed policemen fell down and we could see the man in black moving his arm in a way that suggested he was stabbing or striking the yellow-jacketed policeman. The other officer ran to get help and the man in black ran about 15 yards towards the entrance,” he said.

He added: “As this attacker was running towards the entrance two plain-clothed guys with guns shouted at him what sounded like a warning, he ignored it and they shot two or three times and he fell.”

An eyewitness, Radoslaw Sikorski, a senior fellow at Harvard's Centre for European Studies, posted a video to Twitter showing people lying injured in the road on Westminster Bridge. He wrote: "A car on Westminster Bridge has just mowed down at least 5 people."

Near the main gate, just outside the entrance to Westminster Hall, a crowd of police and paramedics crouched over one of the victims and just metres away police pointed their weapons to an individual who was lying motionless on the floor.

A police officer was stabbed in the incident
A police officer was stabbed in the incident

Paramedics worked furiously pulling medical supplies from their bags and dressing wounds.

Police carried out CPR on one of the individuals who had been shot, in an attempt to keep them alive.

At 2:50pm an air ambulance arrived and landed in Parliament Square to take the injured to hospital. Police continued to do CPR to one of the injured.

Juniour doctor Colleen Anderson at St Thomas' Hospital said a number of people had been hurt, describing some injuries as "catastrophic''.

"There were people across the bridge. There were some with minor injuries, some catastrophic," she said. "Some had injuries they could walk away from or who have life-changing injuries. There were maybe a dozen [injured]."

The Port of London Authority confirmed that a seriously injured woman has been recovered from the Thames river. “She has been brought ashore and is undergoing urgent medical treatment. The working assumption is that she fell or jumped from the bridge,” spokesperson Martin Garside said. “She has been brought ashore and is undergoing urgent medical treatment. The working assumption is that she fell or jumped from the bridge.”

Transport for London said Westminster underground station has been shut at the police's request.

Police have confirmed that they are currently treating this as a terrorist incident. 

“Officers - including firearms officers - remain on the scene and we are treating this as a terrorist incident until we know otherwise,” police said in a statement.

Metropolitan police commander, BJ Harrington added that “a full counter-terrorism investigation is already underway. This is led by the Met counter-terrorism command.”

The government recently revealed that UK security services had foiled 13 potential attacks in less than four years. Counter-terrorism units in Britain are running more than 500 investigations at any time.

Prime Minister Theresa May is to chair a meeting of the government's emergency Cobra committee later.

Maltese foreign minister George Vella extended his sympathies to those injured in the incident, saying he was “shocked and sadden to learn that terrorism had struck at the heart of London.”

London mayor Sadiq Khan said that an urgent investigation is underway, thanking the police and emergency services for their work. “My thoughts are with those affected and their families.”

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