Terror in London

Pedestrians mowed down by car on Westminster Bridge Policeman fatally stabbed by attacker outside Parliament Five people dead, including knifeman, and around 40 injured

Prime Minister Theresa May has vowed to defeat “the forces of evil” after a day of terror in the heart of London.

Four people, including a police officer, were killed when a knifeman launched an attack outside the Houses of Parliament.

At least two of those killed were pedestrians mown down by the attacker moments earlier on Westminster Bridge.

The assailant also died after being shot by police. Around 40 other people were hurt, some of whom were said to have suffered “catastrophic injuries”.

Mrs May said any attempt to defeat the values that the UK Parliament stands for was “doomed to failure”.

“We will move forward together, never giving in to terror and never allowing the forces of hate and evil to drive us apart,” she said.

The Prime Minister has vowed to defeat what she called “the forces of evil” after a police officer and three members of the public were killed when a knifeman brought terror to the heart of Westminster.

The attacker, armed with two large knives, mowed down pedestrians with his car on Westminster Bridge, including schoolchildren, then rushed at the gates in front of the Houses of Parliament, stabbing the policeman, named as 48-year-old PC Keith Palmer, before being shot dead by other officers.

Mrs May, who was in parliament at the time of the attack, praised the bravery of police officers who shot and killed the attacker as he sought another victim.

And she said that any attempt to defeat the values that parliament stands for was “doomed to failure”.

The five dead included the police officer, the knifeman and two people who were killed on the bridge as the terrorist sped toward parliament.

At least 40 other people were hurt, with some said to have suffered “catastrophic” injuries.

Eyewitnesses described scenes of terror when gunfire rang out as the knifeman lunged towards a second officer.

Scotland Yard’s top anti-terror officer Mark Rowley told reporters outside New Scotland Yard, just yards from the scene of the attack: “This was a day we’ve planned for but hoped would never happen. Sadly it is now a reality.”

Paramedics fought to save the officer’s life and that of his attacker on the floor of the cobbled courtyard in front of parliament, with Foreign Office minister Tobias Ellwood among those who rushed to help.

Mr Ellwood could be seen pumping the officer’s chest then standing above him, his hands and face smeared with blood.

Other armed officers, some in plain clothes and wearing balaclavas, swarmed around the yard just feet from where MPs had earlier attended Prime Minister’s Questions.

Donald Trump was among world leaders quick to offer their support.

The White House said the US president spoke to Mrs May in a phone call following the bloody events in London.

The knifeman drove a grey Hyundai i40 across Westminster Bridge before crashing it into railings then running through the gates of the Palace of Westminster.

His attack left a trail of destruction as paramedics tended to victims on the bridge and 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.

Another woman who fell into the Thames was rescued and given urgent medical treatment on a nearby pier.

London Ambulance Service said paramedics had treated at least 10 patients on Westminster Bridge.

A party of French schoolchildren were among those targeted on the bridge, with three injured.

Rob Lyon, 34, from Rugby, was walking along Westminster Bridge with a colleague when he saw the car travelling at high-speed, hitting pedestrians.

“I heard a wheel definitely hit a kerb, quite a loud crunch noise, I looked up and saw a car clearly hitting people as it came towards me.”

An air ambulance landed in Parliament Square and a regular ambulance came in through the front gates as medics rushed to help the police officer.

Armed police cleared the area around the incident and Parliament Square and surrounding streets were closed to traffic while parliament went into lockdown.

Picture: PA. The suspect is taken away from the scene to a waiting ambulance after he was shot by police officers following the attack on the Houses of Parliament. The man was later confirmed to have died. Circled in red are knives thought to have been used in the...

Picture: PA. PC Keith Palmer was killed in the Westminster attack.