Multiple shots were fired near the UK Parliament on Wednesday in London during an incident that also saw people hit by a car on Westminster Bridge.
The Metropolitan Police said the assaults at and near Parliament are being treated “as a terrorist incident until we know otherwise” in a statement released at 3.31 pm local time.
In a reconstruction of the timeline, the BBC said it appeared that a vehicle came off the bridge, drove into the fence outside Parliament and a man then ran into the main building where it was reported he wielded a knife, attacked a police officer and was shot.
Images aired by Sky News and the BBC showed people on the bridge and on the sidewalk near Parliament laying down on the ground and being treated by medical staff. At least 10 people were injured according to eyewitness reports while video footage showed a crashed car nearby.
The shooting took place along the road inside the gates of Parliament leading onto the square and police have closed streets around the area. One of the people on the ground appears to have been shot by a plain-clothes police officer, according to a witness account. The entire Parliament complex was put into lockdown.
Here are the latest updates on the UK Parliament attack:
10.52 pm IST: Three French citizens injured in London attacks, French diplomatic source has said. (Reuters)
10.37 pm IST: British police said there had been an unspecified number of casualties in the UK parliament attack and the Westminster Bridge incident. “We know there are a number of casualties including police officers but at this stage we cannot confirm numbers or the nature of these injuries,” Commander B.J. Harrington told reporters. “We received a number of different reports which included a person in the river, a car in collision with pedestrians and a man armed with a knife.” (Reuters)
10.35 pm IST: British PM Theresa May will chair a meeting of the government’s emergency security committee on Wednesday after what the police described as a “terrorist incident” outside the UK parliament. “There is a COBR meeting taking place today,” a spokesman at the office of the British prime minister said on Wednesday. (Reuters)
10.32 pm IST: Woman pulled alive from River Thames after London attack, has serious injuries. says Port of London authority. (Reuters)
10.31 pm IST: London Ambulance Service says it has treated at least 10 patients on Westminster Bridge. “We can confirm we have treated at least 10 patients on Westminster Bridge and have put a number of hospitals on alert as we continue to respond to this incident,” said London Ambulance Service Deputy Director of Operations Pauline Cranmer in a statement. (Reuters)
10.30 pm IST: “Full counter-terrorism investigation under way” after Westminster terror incident, says London Met Police commander. (BBC Breaking News in Twitter)
10.20 pm IST: “We are locked in House Of Commons”, UK MP Keith Vaz tells NDTV after the Westminster attacks. (NDTV)
10.11 pm IST: Sky News tweeted two people dead in UK Parliament attack in London.
10.10 pm IST: Scotland’s devolved parliament will increase security measures with immediate effect following Wednesday’s attack on Britain’s parliament at Westminster in London. “While there is no intelligence to suggest there is a specific threat to Scotland, Edinburgh or Holyrood (the devolved parliament), we have increased security with immediate effect at the Scottish Parliament as a precaution,” parliament’s chief executive office said in a statement. “We are aware of a developing situation at Westminster this afternoon and are monitoring matters very closely,” it added.
10.08 pm IST: US President Donald Trump was briefed on the UK Parliament attack in London. “I was just getting an update on London. Some big news having to do with London,” Trump said, as he entered the Roosevelt Room in the White House for a meeting on women’s healthcare. Separately, the US State Department said it was closely monitoring the “concerning situation” and was in particular trying to find out whether any US visitors had been caught up in it.
“Our embassy in London is monitoring the situation closely, “ acting spokesman Mark Toner said. “We stand ready to provide all possible consular assistance should we become aware of any affected US citizens.” (AFP)
10.03 pm IST: Houses of UK Parliament, Westminster underground station and road on lockdown. Members of Parliament locked in House. Air ambulance at the scene to address the injured.
10.00 pm IST: A New York Times report says a motorist on Westminster Bridge, next to Parliament, operating a large vehicle, mowed down at least five people before coming to a halt, but it was not clear if the motorist was also the assailant. Witnesses said they had heard gunfire near Portcullis House, an office building for lawmakers and members of their staff. The police said officers had been summoned to the bridge around 2:40 pm because of reports of “a firearms incident”.
But basic details remained unclear an hour after the episode.
9.51 pm IST: One woman has died and other people are being treated for “catastrophic” injuries after the UK Parliament attack in London on Wednesday, British news agency Press Association reported, citing a junior doctor at a central London hospital. (Reuters
9.47 pm IST: Witness Rick Longley told the Press Association that he saw a man stab a policeman outside Britain’s Parliament. “We were just walking up to the station and there was a loud bang and a guy, someone, crashed a car and took some pedestrians out,” he said. “They were just laying there and then the whole crowd just surged around the corner by the gates just opposite Big Ben. “A guy came past my right shoulder with a big knife and just started plunging it into the policeman. “I have never seen anything like that. I just can’t believe what I just saw.”
9.37 pm IST: Facebook has activated its safety check following the UK Parliament attack in London. (CNN)
9.32 pm IST: Scottish Parliament suspends debate on second independence referendum following attack outside UK Parliament. (BBC)
9.28 pm IST: US state department says closely following the UK Parliament attack. (Reuters)
9.27 pm IST: British lawmaker Grant Shapps said on Twitter that he was walking through the cloisters of the House of Commons to vote when he heard four gunshots. Police told lawmakers to get down on the ground and crawl to cover. “Police response instant. Heard commotion, looked round. Police weapons drawn, 4 shots, police ordered us to hit ground & get back, get back,” he said. (AP)
9.26 pm IST: The White House says US President Donald Trump has been briefed on the UK Parliament attack. Trump himself said during a brief appearance Wednesday before reporters at the White House that he was just getting the news. He called it “big news”. Trump’s spokesman, Sean Spicer, says the US will continue to monitor the situation in the UK and update the president. (AP)
9.22 pm IST: Crowds being moved out of Parliament Square, policeman tells BBC, suspect vehicle outside UK Parliament.
9.21 pm IST: 10, Downing Street said Prime Minister Theresa May was safe. She was seen being ushered into a silver Jaguar car from the Parliament.
9.10 pm IST: UK police say they are treating a gun and knife incident at Britain’s Parliament “as a terrorist incident until we know otherwise.” The Metropolitan Police says in a statement that the incident is ongoing. It is urging people to stay away from the area. Officials say a man with a knife attacked a police officer at Parliament and was shot by officers. There are also reports of a vehicle hitting pedestrians on nearby Westminster Bridge. (Reuters)
9.05 pm IST: The Metropolitan Police said on it’s official Twitter account that it was called at about 2:40pm London time to reports of an incident at Westminster Bridge. It described as a “firearms” incident.
9.03 pm IST: A European security official says there was increased chatter on jihadi networks Tuesday following the announcement of UK’s laptop ban aboard flights from certain mostly Muslim countries. He said, however, there was no information that the incident was terror-related. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak about ongoing security operations. (AP)
9.01 pm IST: US President Donald Trump “has been briefed on the situation in the UK”, ABC News has quoted the White House Press Secretary as saying.
8.57 pm IST: Scotland Yard says it was called to firearms incident on Westminster Bridge amid reports of several people injured. (BBC)
8.55 pm IST: BBC reports Wednesday’s incidents as two separate ones—car on Westminster Bridge and attacker in UK Parliament grounds.
Injured people are assisted after an incident on Westminster Bridge in London on Wednesday. Photo: Reuters
Injured people are assisted after an incident on Westminster Bridge in London on Wednesday. Photo: Reuters
8.51 pm IST: Witnesses said a vehicle struck several people on the bridge, and photos showed a car plowed into railings. (AP)
8.49 pm IST: Reuters photographs show four people lying near UK parliament, bleeding heavily. One of the photographs showed a body lying under the wheels of a London bus. (Reuters)
8.46 pm IST: There are also reports of further violent incidents in the Palace of Westminster, confirmation from the police awaited: lawmaker. (Reuters)
8.45 pm IST: Assailant who stabbed policeman inside UK parliament has been shot, says a lawmaker. “The alleged assailant was shot by armed police, an ambulance is currently attending the scene to remove the casualities,” he said. (Reuters)
8.44 pm IST: UK prime minister Theresa May is safe after UK parliament attack, says spokesman. (Reuters)
8.43 pm IST: Leader of the house of commons says policeman stabbed inside parliament perimeter. (Reuters)
8.42 pm IST: Britain’s MI5 says it is too early to say if the incident is terror-related. (AP)
8.39 pm IST: The House of Commons session was suspended and members of parliament who were in the chamber were told to remain there. (Reuters)
Roads are closed off by police after sounds similar to gunfire have been heard close to the Houses of Parliament, London. Photo: AP
Roads are closed off by police after sounds similar to gunfire have been heard close to the Houses of Parliament, London. Photo: AP
8.33 pm IST: UK parliament will be in lock down until incident clear, says leader of the house of commons. (Reuters)
8.32 pm IST: Alleged assailant was shot at uk parliament by armed police, says leader of the house of commons. (Reuters)
8.21 pm IST: A least a dozen people have been injured on Westminster Bridge after large bangs were heard outside the British parliament, a Reuters photographer said on Wednesday. (Reuters)
The Metropolitan Police said the assaults at and near Parliament are being treated “as a terrorist incident until we know otherwise” in a statement released at 3.31 pm local time.
In a reconstruction of the timeline, the BBC said it appeared that a vehicle came off the bridge, drove into the fence outside Parliament and a man then ran into the main building where it was reported he wielded a knife, attacked a police officer and was shot.
Images aired by Sky News and the BBC showed people on the bridge and on the sidewalk near Parliament laying down on the ground and being treated by medical staff. At least 10 people were injured according to eyewitness reports while video footage showed a crashed car nearby.
The shooting took place along the road inside the gates of Parliament leading onto the square and police have closed streets around the area. One of the people on the ground appears to have been shot by a plain-clothes police officer, according to a witness account. The entire Parliament complex was put into lockdown.
Here are the latest updates on the UK Parliament attack:
10.52 pm IST: Three French citizens injured in London attacks, French diplomatic source has said. (Reuters)
10.37 pm IST: British police said there had been an unspecified number of casualties in the UK parliament attack and the Westminster Bridge incident. “We know there are a number of casualties including police officers but at this stage we cannot confirm numbers or the nature of these injuries,” Commander B.J. Harrington told reporters. “We received a number of different reports which included a person in the river, a car in collision with pedestrians and a man armed with a knife.” (Reuters)
10.35 pm IST: British PM Theresa May will chair a meeting of the government’s emergency security committee on Wednesday after what the police described as a “terrorist incident” outside the UK parliament. “There is a COBR meeting taking place today,” a spokesman at the office of the British prime minister said on Wednesday. (Reuters)
10.32 pm IST: Woman pulled alive from River Thames after London attack, has serious injuries. says Port of London authority. (Reuters)
10.31 pm IST: London Ambulance Service says it has treated at least 10 patients on Westminster Bridge. “We can confirm we have treated at least 10 patients on Westminster Bridge and have put a number of hospitals on alert as we continue to respond to this incident,” said London Ambulance Service Deputy Director of Operations Pauline Cranmer in a statement. (Reuters)
10.30 pm IST: “Full counter-terrorism investigation under way” after Westminster terror incident, says London Met Police commander. (BBC Breaking News in Twitter)
10.20 pm IST: “We are locked in House Of Commons”, UK MP Keith Vaz tells NDTV after the Westminster attacks. (NDTV)
10.11 pm IST: Sky News tweeted two people dead in UK Parliament attack in London.
10.10 pm IST: Scotland’s devolved parliament will increase security measures with immediate effect following Wednesday’s attack on Britain’s parliament at Westminster in London. “While there is no intelligence to suggest there is a specific threat to Scotland, Edinburgh or Holyrood (the devolved parliament), we have increased security with immediate effect at the Scottish Parliament as a precaution,” parliament’s chief executive office said in a statement. “We are aware of a developing situation at Westminster this afternoon and are monitoring matters very closely,” it added.
10.08 pm IST: US President Donald Trump was briefed on the UK Parliament attack in London. “I was just getting an update on London. Some big news having to do with London,” Trump said, as he entered the Roosevelt Room in the White House for a meeting on women’s healthcare. Separately, the US State Department said it was closely monitoring the “concerning situation” and was in particular trying to find out whether any US visitors had been caught up in it.
“Our embassy in London is monitoring the situation closely, “ acting spokesman Mark Toner said. “We stand ready to provide all possible consular assistance should we become aware of any affected US citizens.” (AFP)
10.03 pm IST: Houses of UK Parliament, Westminster underground station and road on lockdown. Members of Parliament locked in House. Air ambulance at the scene to address the injured.
10.00 pm IST: A New York Times report says a motorist on Westminster Bridge, next to Parliament, operating a large vehicle, mowed down at least five people before coming to a halt, but it was not clear if the motorist was also the assailant. Witnesses said they had heard gunfire near Portcullis House, an office building for lawmakers and members of their staff. The police said officers had been summoned to the bridge around 2:40 pm because of reports of “a firearms incident”.
But basic details remained unclear an hour after the episode.
9.51 pm IST: One woman has died and other people are being treated for “catastrophic” injuries after the UK Parliament attack in London on Wednesday, British news agency Press Association reported, citing a junior doctor at a central London hospital. (Reuters
9.47 pm IST: Witness Rick Longley told the Press Association that he saw a man stab a policeman outside Britain’s Parliament. “We were just walking up to the station and there was a loud bang and a guy, someone, crashed a car and took some pedestrians out,” he said. “They were just laying there and then the whole crowd just surged around the corner by the gates just opposite Big Ben. “A guy came past my right shoulder with a big knife and just started plunging it into the policeman. “I have never seen anything like that. I just can’t believe what I just saw.”
9.37 pm IST: Facebook has activated its safety check following the UK Parliament attack in London. (CNN)
9.32 pm IST: Scottish Parliament suspends debate on second independence referendum following attack outside UK Parliament. (BBC)
9.28 pm IST: US state department says closely following the UK Parliament attack. (Reuters)
9.27 pm IST: British lawmaker Grant Shapps said on Twitter that he was walking through the cloisters of the House of Commons to vote when he heard four gunshots. Police told lawmakers to get down on the ground and crawl to cover. “Police response instant. Heard commotion, looked round. Police weapons drawn, 4 shots, police ordered us to hit ground & get back, get back,” he said. (AP)
9.26 pm IST: The White House says US President Donald Trump has been briefed on the UK Parliament attack. Trump himself said during a brief appearance Wednesday before reporters at the White House that he was just getting the news. He called it “big news”. Trump’s spokesman, Sean Spicer, says the US will continue to monitor the situation in the UK and update the president. (AP)
9.22 pm IST: Crowds being moved out of Parliament Square, policeman tells BBC, suspect vehicle outside UK Parliament.
9.21 pm IST: 10, Downing Street said Prime Minister Theresa May was safe. She was seen being ushered into a silver Jaguar car from the Parliament.
9.10 pm IST: UK police say they are treating a gun and knife incident at Britain’s Parliament “as a terrorist incident until we know otherwise.” The Metropolitan Police says in a statement that the incident is ongoing. It is urging people to stay away from the area. Officials say a man with a knife attacked a police officer at Parliament and was shot by officers. There are also reports of a vehicle hitting pedestrians on nearby Westminster Bridge. (Reuters)
9.05 pm IST: The Metropolitan Police said on it’s official Twitter account that it was called at about 2:40pm London time to reports of an incident at Westminster Bridge. It described as a “firearms” incident.
9.03 pm IST: A European security official says there was increased chatter on jihadi networks Tuesday following the announcement of UK’s laptop ban aboard flights from certain mostly Muslim countries. He said, however, there was no information that the incident was terror-related. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak about ongoing security operations. (AP)
9.01 pm IST: US President Donald Trump “has been briefed on the situation in the UK”, ABC News has quoted the White House Press Secretary as saying.
8.57 pm IST: Scotland Yard says it was called to firearms incident on Westminster Bridge amid reports of several people injured. (BBC)
8.55 pm IST: BBC reports Wednesday’s incidents as two separate ones—car on Westminster Bridge and attacker in UK Parliament grounds.
Injured people are assisted after an incident on Westminster Bridge in London on Wednesday. Photo: Reuters
Injured people are assisted after an incident on Westminster Bridge in London on Wednesday. Photo: Reuters
8.51 pm IST: Witnesses said a vehicle struck several people on the bridge, and photos showed a car plowed into railings. (AP)
8.49 pm IST: Reuters photographs show four people lying near UK parliament, bleeding heavily. One of the photographs showed a body lying under the wheels of a London bus. (Reuters)
8.46 pm IST: There are also reports of further violent incidents in the Palace of Westminster, confirmation from the police awaited: lawmaker. (Reuters)
8.45 pm IST: Assailant who stabbed policeman inside UK parliament has been shot, says a lawmaker. “The alleged assailant was shot by armed police, an ambulance is currently attending the scene to remove the casualities,” he said. (Reuters)
8.44 pm IST: UK prime minister Theresa May is safe after UK parliament attack, says spokesman. (Reuters)
8.43 pm IST: Leader of the house of commons says policeman stabbed inside parliament perimeter. (Reuters)
8.42 pm IST: Britain’s MI5 says it is too early to say if the incident is terror-related. (AP)
8.39 pm IST: The House of Commons session was suspended and members of parliament who were in the chamber were told to remain there. (Reuters)
Roads are closed off by police after sounds similar to gunfire have been heard close to the Houses of Parliament, London. Photo: AP
Roads are closed off by police after sounds similar to gunfire have been heard close to the Houses of Parliament, London. Photo: AP
8.33 pm IST: UK parliament will be in lock down until incident clear, says leader of the house of commons. (Reuters)
8.32 pm IST: Alleged assailant was shot at uk parliament by armed police, says leader of the house of commons. (Reuters)
8.21 pm IST: A least a dozen people have been injured on Westminster Bridge after large bangs were heard outside the British parliament, a Reuters photographer said on Wednesday. (Reuters)
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