Our students in shock
M’sians constantly checking on one another
Petaling Jaya: One of the first things Malaysian students in London did upon hearing of the attack outside Britain’s Houses of Parliament was to check on one another to make sure no one was harmed.
Others marked themselves as “safe” on Facebook so that those at home would not worry.
“WhatsApp groups were buzzing, everyone was checking up on each other’s whereabouts to make sure they were all right,” postgraduate student Nadirah Karim told The Star.
We always hear it happening to other people in other places, but it’s a completely different feeling when it’s happening where you are at that moment.
“Especially when most of our university campuses are scattered all over London, walking over Westminster Bridge to go to the next class or sitting by the park to eat lunch is a routine,” said the 24-year-old International Relations student.
When the attack took place, Nadirah was meeting a friend for lunch in Oxford Street, about only 3km away from Westminster Palace. She did not hear or see anything initially, and was only informed about what was happening from people in Malaysia.
Nadirah, who is studying at the King’s College in London, said she was still in shock as the attack was “too close for comfort”.
“I had just done a presentation on terrorism at the university in the morning, and it was something I’ve been reading up on a lot the past week.
“So I was completely stunned to suddenly hear about it happening in real time just a stone’s throw away,” Nadirah said during the interview yesterday.
“I couldn’t believe it was happening. Here I am at Oxford Street, one of the busiest places in Central London.
“Of course I couldn’t help but to feel scared about the possibility of an attack here, too,” she added.
When Nadirah saw a few military helicopters in the sky and learned that the London Tube service had been suspended, she knew that it was a serious matter and headed home as soon as possible.
International political economy student Azielia Anne, 25, was in the King’s College London library at Chancery Lane, about 4km from the scene of the incident.
“I was working on my laptop at the time and received news on my phone within five minutes,” she said.
Although Azielia saw some students picked up their phones to make calls, she described the situation in the library as calm.
University College London (UCL) student Abel Law, 21, is staying cautious after the attack.
“I initially thought it was a joke because I did not believe something as serious as this could be happening in the city where I was living,” the law student said.
“I’m very, very wary of crowded areas and will be a little bit afraid to go out for the next couple of days,” he said.
Four people were killed and 40 injured after being run over and stabbed in a lightning attack at Westminster Bridge.
The attacker’s car struck pedestrians on the bridge before crashing into railings surrounding the Houses of Parliament in the centre of the city.
The assailant then ran through the gates brandishing a knife and fatally stabbed a 48-year-old policeman before being shot dead.
Wisma Putra issued a statement saying that no Malaysians had been hurt in the terror attack.
A foreign ministry spokesman said they were monitoring developments closely and would provide updates.
“The local police have confirmed they are currently treating the incident as a terrorist incident,” said the spokesman to the media yesterday.
The Foreign Ministry yesterday had conveyed its deepest sympathies and condolences to the families of the victims of the incident.