LONDON AUSSIES ESCAPE TERROR
FORMER Toowoomba residents, now living in London, have spoken about their horror as the terror attack unfolded in the heart of the city.
Penny Fox was at work when sirens sounded and her entire building was placed into lockdown.
Camera operator Cameron Stewart had driven past the Westminster Bridge just 10 minutes before the attack and emergency paramedic Sean Kelsey said he wasn’t surprised by the attack considering other similar incidents in Europe.
A FORMER Toowoomba woman, working in the heart of London, spent Wednesday afternoon in lockdown after the horror terror attack unfolded in the city.
Penny Fox works for the Department of Energy and Climate Change, which is less than 500 metres from where the terror attack took place.
It unfolded about 2.30pm (London Time) on Wednesday when a man in a car mowed down pedestrians on Westminster Bridge.
After the crash, he left the vehicle and approached the UK Houses of Parliament, where he stabbed a police officer to death.
The attacker was shot dead by police and the incident resulted in four other deaths, including the police officer. More than 40 people were injured.
Ms Fox was at work when sirens sounded and her entire building was placed into lockdown.
Her parents Sue and George Fox said they were relieved to receive an email from her in the early hours of yesterday morning.
“She emailed to say that she was safe and her building was in lockdown,” Mrs Fox said.
“The message came through in the middle of the night and we had to wait until she emailed again to say that she was able to leave work and head home.
“Penny said it was a very
long day. She praised the emergency workers and their quick work; she said they were just amazing.
“She is feeling incredibly sad for the poor families caught up in this horrible attack.”
Penny moved to London on a two-year visa after graduating Fairholme College.
She was planning on returning home but instead married an English man and had two children.
Mrs Fox and her husband flew out to London yesterday afternoon to visit their daughter and grandsons.
“It is just a coincidence we are visiting her now. We have had this visit planned for quite a while,” she said.
“I am not nervous about being in London.
“I know some people worry after a terror attack like this but London is a beautiful place and we can’t let dreadful people taint our views on such a wonderful city.”
Another Toowoomba man, Cameron Stewart, had driven past the Westminster Bridge just 10 minutes before the attack.
Mr Stewart moved to London two years ago to be a freelance camera operator and had just returned home from a trip overseas when the attack occurred.
“I’m not surprised by the attacks at all, unfortunately. Sadly, the threat of terrorism is very real in Europe,” he said.
“There is a strong police presence at all potential targets in and around the city.
“It is very sad and heartbreaking to see an attack happen to my home. It’s always awful when terror attacks happen but when it happens to your home, it’s different.
“You know the streets, you walk on those bridges and sidewalks. It easily could have been me.”
This is not the first time Mr Stewart has been close to a terror attack.
He was in Istanbul when the stadium got bombed and he was in Brussels the day before that attack.
“It’s very surreal to continue to be close to these attacks,” he said.
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You know streets, you walk on those bridges. It easily could have been me.
— Cameron Stewart