A suspected terrorist plowed a
car into pedestrians on London's Westminster Bridge on Wednesday afternoon,
then fatally stabbed a police officer before being shot.
In a Wednesday evening press
briefing, Mark Rowley, assistant commissioner of the Metropolitan Police, said
that the attack left at least five people dead: three members of the public,
the stabbed officer and the attacker.
Police said about 40 others were
injured in the British Parliament complex on Wednesday. Rowley said that figure
included three police officers, two of whom are in serious condition.
Local law enforcement currently
believe that the dead attacker is the only suspect, but Rowley declined to
comment on the assailant's identity. The police's working assumption is that
the attacker was inspired by international terrorism.
Londoners can expect to see
heavier police presence, both armed and unarmed, throughout the city for the
next few days, Rowley said.
The Parliament was quickly placed
on lockdown in accordance with protocol for what authorities call a marauding
terrorist attack. Prime Minister Theresa May and Queen Elizabeth II were
reported safe.
While the lockdown has been
lifted, much of the area remains cordoned off as police continue with their
investigation.
On Wednesday evening, British
Prime Minister May gave a stirring speech, in which she applauded the heroism
demonstrated by the police. The location of the attack, steps away from the
seat of British government, was "no accident," May said.
"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," she said.
"But let me make it clear
today, as I have had cause to do before, any attempt to defeat those values
through violence and terror is doomed to failure."
Londoners and tourists will wake
up on Thursday and go about their lives as normal, May said.
Mayor Sadiq Khan made similar
remarks earlier, saying "Londoners will never be cowed by terrorism."
"I want to reassure all
Londoners and all our visitors not to be alarmed — our city remains one of the
safest in the world," Khan said. "London is the greatest city in the world
and we stand together in the face of those who seek to harm us and destroy our
way of life. We always have, and we always will."
Police confirmed that a full
counterterrorism operation is underway and that they are increasing law
enforcement presence around the city.
The Port of London Authority said
in a statement that a woman has been pulled from the River Thames. The agency
said the woman was alive, but has sustained very serious injuries.
The incident at Parliament
occurred on the first anniversary of the terrorist bombings in Brussels that
killed 32 people.
France's Foreign Ministry said in
a statement that three French high school students were in serious condition
after being run over on Westminster Bridge.
French Prime Minister Bernard Cazeneuve
tweeted in French, "Solidarity with our British friends terribly stricken,
full support to the injured French students, their families and their
comrades."
The press office for the prime
minister said May is "safe and at work." The prime minister had been
in the House of Commons about two hours before the incident for her weekly
"Question Time" session. NBC News has confirmed that she has since
returned to 10 Downing Street.
Queen Elizabeth II was at Buckingham
Palace during the incident, according to a palace spokesman.
The U.K. government said both the
House of Commons and House of Lords will sit their scheduled sessions on
Thursday.
President Donald Trump has spoken
with May, White House spokesman Sean Spicer said during his daily press
briefing. The president pledged the "full cooperation and support of the
United States government in responding to the attack and bringing those
responsible to justice," according to the White House readout of the call.
Secretary of State Rex Tillerson expressed his condolences in a
statement.
"The American people send
their thoughts and prayers to the people of the United Kingdom. We condemn
these horrific acts of violence, and whether they were carried out by troubled
individuals or by terrorists, the victims know no difference," Tillerson
said in a Wednesday statement.
Before the incident, the United
Kingdom was on its second-highest level of alert — "severe" — meaning
that was terrorist attack was considered highly likely.
Police said they were called to Westminster
Bridge at 2:14 p.m. local time. Multiple ambulance crews were end route to the
scene as armed police entered Parliament, some of them carrying shields,
Reuters reported.
Soon after the attack, House of
Commons leader David Lidington updated fellow members of the Parliament that
the alleged assailant stabbed an officer and was shot by police.
"An air ambulance is
attending the scene to remove the casualties. There are also reports of further
violent incidents in the vicinity," Lidington said.
Brian Dillon, former head of the
firearms command of London's Metropolitan Police, told NBC News that,
"This is exactly the sort of thing that police feared might happen,
feeding into the high threat assessment for the U.K."
"This is one of a number of
concerns that were feared, with a vehicle and weapons being used," said
Dillon, who now runs the counterterrorism consultancy Rubicon Resilience.
A spokesman for the U.S. State
Department said, "We are closely following the concerning situation
outside the U.K. Parliament
"Our hearts go out to those
affected. We stand ready to assist in any way the U.K. authorities would find
helpful. The safety and security of U.S. citizens overseas is one of our
highest priorities," said the spokesman Mark Toner.
"Our embassy in London is
monitoring the situation closely. We stand ready to provide all possible
consular assistance should we become aware of any affected U.S. citizens,"
Toner said.
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