Car breaches UK House security in terror attack

The man, in his late 20s, has been arrested on suspicion of terrorism offences. The identity of the man was not immediately revealed

London, Aug. 14: In a terror attack, a speeding car crashed into security barriers outside the UK’s Parliament during rush hour, injuring two persons, Scotland Yard said as a man was arrested on suspicion of terrorism offences. Scotland Yard’s CounterTerrorism Command is treating the incident in central London as a terrorist attack.

The man, in his late 20s, has been arrested on suspicion of terrorism offences. Eyewitnesses said that the man, who looked calm, was led away in handcuffs from the car by officers after the crash. The identity of the man was not immediately revealed. “At this stage, we are treating this as a terrorist incident and the Met’s Counter Terrorism Command is now leading the investigation,” a Met Police spokesperson said.

The spokesperson said that there was nobody else in the vehicle, which remains at the scene and is being searched. No weapons have been recovered at this stage. Police have put up a Terrorism Act cordon, a reaction to incidents of this nature near any high- security hotspots in the city.

“At 0737 hrs ( 1207 IST) today, a car was in collision with barriers outside the Houses of Parliament,” the Met Police said. The car was seen wedged into flapstyle barriers that allows vehicles access to the House of Lords, giving the impression that the driver may have been trying to gain access to the Parliament building. Prime Minister Theresa May said: “My thoughts are with those injured in the incident in Westminster and my thanks to the emergency services for their immediate and courageous response.” Home Secretary Sajid Javid also thanked emergency services for their quick response.

Mayor of London Sadiq Khan said he was in close contact with police. London Ambulance Service said in a statement that it had “treated two people at the scene for injuries that are not believed to be serious and have taken them to hospital”.

The area around Parliament Square has been cordoned off as investigations continue.

The incident occurred at peak rush hour, resulting in major travel disruptions as Westminster tube station was shut down and road closures put in place.