London attack: Woman dies in Westminster ‘terror’ incident

A woman has died on Westminster Bridge in central London in what police are treating as a terrorist incident.

A police officer was also stabbed in the nearby Houses of Parliament by an attacker, who was shot by police.

The attacker struck several pedestrians as he drove a car across the bridge, before crashing it into railings.

A doctor at St Thomas’ Hospital said a number of other people were hurt – some with “catastrophic” injuries.

Junior doctor Colleen Anderson from St Thomas’ said she also treated a police officer in his 30s with a head injury, who had been taken to King’s College Hospital.

She said the woman had died at the scene.

“There were people across the bridge. There were some with minor injuries, some catastrophic,” she added.

“Some had injuries they could walk away from or who have life-changing injuries. There were maybe a dozen [injured].”

Met Police Commander BJ Harrington said he was unable to confirm details of casualties.

Speaking outside Scotland Yard he said there was a “full counter-terrorism inquiry” under way.

He urged the public to stay away from the area around Westminster to allow emergency services access.

MPs said they had heard three or four gunshots and staff inside Parliament were told to stay inside their offices.

Commons Leader David Lidington told MPs the “alleged assailant was shot by armed police”.

A Downing Street source said Prime Minister Theresa May was safe.

The prime minister was seen being ushered into a silver Jaguar car as what sounded like gunfire rang out at Parliament during the incident.

Tom Peck, political editor for the Independent, tweeted: “There was a loud bang. Screams. Commotion. Then the sound of gunshots. Armed police everywhere.”

Press Association political editor Andrew Woodcock witnessed the scenes unfolding from his office window overlooking New Palace Yard.

“I heard shouts and screams from outside and looked out, and there was a group of maybe 40 or 50 people running round the corner from Bridge Street into Parliament Square.

“They appeared to be running away from something.

‘Mowed down’

An eye witness, Radoslaw Sikorski, a senior fellow at Harvard’s Centre for European Studies, posted a video to Twitter purporting to show people lying injured in the road on Westminster Bridge.

He wrote: “A car on Westminster Bridge has just mowed down at least 5 people.”

Scotland Yard said it was called to a firearms incident on Westminster Bridge amid reports of several people injured.

Transport for London said Westminster underground station has been shut at the police’s request, and buses diverted.

Mr Lidington said: “It seems that a police officer has been stabbed, that the alleged assailant was shot by armed police.

“An air ambulance is currently attending the scene to remove the casualties.

“There are also reports of further violent incidents in the vicinity of the Palace of Westminster but 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.”

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Source: BBC

A woman has died on Westminster Bridge in central London in what police are treating as a terrorist incident. A police officer was also stabbed in the nearby Houses of Parliament by an attacker, who was shot by police. The attacker struck several pedestrians as he drove a car across the bridge, before crashing it ... Read Full Story