Two hurt in terror attack outside British parliament
Yard’s counterterrorism command is investigating an incident Tuesday in which a man drove his car into barricades outside the Houses of Parliament in Westminster, injuring two people.
Driving vehicles into pedestrians has been a feature of terror attacks on the Westminster bridge and London bridge in 2017, in which several people were killed.
The Theresa May government called an emergency meeting on Tuesday afternoon to review the situation.
A male suspect in his 20s was arrested, but the police said he was not co-operating with the investigation.
“The male driver of the car was detained by officers at the scene. A number of pedestrians have been injured.
“Officers remain at the scene. We will issue further info when we have it,” London’s police force said in a statement on Twitter earlier in the day.
LONDON:Scotland
The nearby Westminster tube station was closed and a cordon thrown around the area.
“Given that this appears to be a deliberate act, the method and this being an iconic site, we are treating it as a terrorist incident and the investigation is being led by officers from the Counter Terrorism Command,” assistant police commissioner Neil Basu said.
He added that the vehicle collided with cyclists and pedestrians before hitting a barrier and coming to a stop.
Two people were taken to hospital, of whom one man was and one woman remained in hospital, but for non-life threatening injuries.
One man was treated at the scene but did not require hospital treatment.
Parliament is not on session during the summer holidays, but the area is a popular destination of tourists and visitors.