TERROR AT PARLIAMENT
FIVE CONFIRMED DEAD – INCLUDING POLICEMAN AND TERRORIST – AND 40 INJURED IN ATTACK ON CAPITAL
FIVE people were last night confirmed dead after a man ploughed through pedestrians in a car then stabbed a policeman during a terror attack outside the Houses of Parliament.
Unarmed Pc Keith Palmer, 48, was fatally knifed within the gates of the Palace of Westminster while he was protecting those inside Parliament.
The married dad, 48, died along with three members of the public and the attacker, who was shot by officers.
Met Police say another 40 people were injured in the attack, which they believe to have been ‘inspired by international terrorism.’
Three other officers have been injured, two seriously. The assailant mowed down pedestrians, including schoolchildren, in a grey Hyundai before rushing at the gates in front of the Houses of Parliament.
Police believe he was acting alone, but said last night it would be ‘foolish to be over-confident at this stage.’
Of the dozens injured in the attack, some suffered ‘catastrophic’ injuries.
One woman, who was rescued from the River Thames after falling into the water from Westminster Bridge, is in a critical condition.
Prime Minister Theresa May, who was in Parliament at the time, condemned the ‘sick and depraved’ attack and vowed to defeat what she called ‘the forces of evil.’
Speaking after a meeting of the government’s emergency Cobra committee, she praised the bravery of police officers and said any attempt to defeat the values that Parliament stands for was ‘doomed to failure.’
Scotland Yard’s top anti-terror officer Mark Rowley said hundreds of officers are scouring an ‘extremely wide area’ as part of the investigation.
Paying tribute to Pc Palmer, he said: “He was someone who left for work today expecting to return home at the end of his shift - and he had every right to expect that would happen.”
Westminster Square remained closed throughout the night while Westminster Bridge was sealed off as a crime scene.
The Queen’s visit to New Scotland Yard has been postponed in the wake of the attack. Her Majesty was due to officially open the force’s new headquarters on Victoria Embankment today.
The attack in the capital began at around 2.40pm yesterday.
The suspected knifeman, described by witnesses as Asian and in his 40s, was shot several times as he approached a second officer within yards of the Houses of Parliament.
Paramedics fought to save his life and that of Mr Palmer on the cobbled courtyard in front of Parliament. Foreign Office minister Tobias Ellwood was among those who rushed to help.
The knifeman drove a grey Hyundai i40 across Westminster Bridge before crashing it into rail-
ings then running through the gates of the Palace of Westminster.
The attack left a trail of destruction as paramedics tended to at least ten victims on the bridge and more at the gate.
One woman hit by the attacker’s car before he reached Parliament was confirmed dead by a doctor at St Thomas’ Hospital. A party of French schoolchildren were among those targeted on the bridge, with three injured.
MPs were kept inside the House of Commons for several hours after the attack. Around 1,000 people took shelter in Westminster Abbey until around 8pm.