WHY HATE WILL NOT WIN
A fanatic brought mayhem to the streets of London yesterday in an attack on our democracy and values – the values shown by officers who tried to save the life of the man who had just killed their colleague
PARAMEDICS yesterday battled in vain to save a terrorist who killed four people and maimed dozens more on a day of carnage at Westminster.
The maniac mowed down pedestrians on Westminster Bridge, crashed his car
outside the Houses of Parliament then stabbed an unarmed police officer to death with a kitchen knife.
He was shot three times by armed cops who – in a display of human decency lost on their attacker – then tried to save his life before paramedics arrived.
Yards away, he had killed two pedestrians as he rampaged over the bridge in a grey Hyundai ix35. At least 40 people were hurt, two of them police.
The dead policeman was PC Keith Palmer, 48. He was married and a father.
Police believe they were aware of the attacker but were not naming him. He died in hospital.
Last night, Prime Minister Theresa May praised the bravery of the police officers “who keep us and our democratic institutions safe”.
She paid tribute to the “exceptional men and women” of the police and vowed: “We will all move forward together, never giving in to terror and never allowing the voices of hate and evil to drive us apart.”
She added: “Our thoughts and prayers go out to all who have been affected, to the victims and to their families and friends, who waved their loved ones off but will not now be welcoming them home.
“For those of us who were in Parliament at the time of this attack, these events provide a particular reminder of the exceptional bravery of our police and security services who risk their lives to keep us safe.
“Once again today, these exceptional men and women ran towards the danger, even as they encouraged others to move the other way.”
Special Branch officers rushed May out of the Parliament by car within moments of the horror, which began at 2.40pm. She later chaired a meeting of the COBRA emergency committee.
The carnage had similarities to the truck attacks in Nice and Berlin last year.
Doctors said several people suffered “catastrophic” injuries on the bridge.
One woman lay under the wheel of a red London bus. A man with his leg broken lay prone on a stone staircase, bleeding heavily from the head.
Passers-by aided another woman who lay wide-eyed with shock, as she bled profusely across the pavement.
One woman was later rescued alive from the river. Three French high school students were among the
injured. After the attacker smashed the car into the railings next to Parliament, he leapt out with two knives.
He ran through the main vehicle entrance and set about two police officers, stabbing one of them repeatedly.
An armed plain-clothes officer came from the buildings and fired several shots at the killer.
As he and his victim lay bleeding – overlooked by Big Ben – police, paramedics and even members of Parliament tried to save their lives.
Armed officers kept their guns trained on the knifeman as two blades lay nearby. The killer was briefly stripped of his clothes as they checked for a suicide vest.
Parliament was put on lockdown and sightseers on the London Eye, across the Thames, were kept in their gondolas.
Witnesses described seeing a heavyset man carrying a knife and running towards the Houses of Parliament.
Jayne Wilkinson said: “We were taking photos of Big Ben and we saw all the people running towards us, and then there was an Asian guy in his 40s carrying a knife about seven or eight inches long. And then there were three shots fired.”
Frazer Clarke, 25, from Burton-on-Trent, said: “He was stabbing the police officer with the knives. The police officer was stumbling and fell. Another police officer walked toward the guy with the knives and shot him twice.”
Daily Mail political editor Jason Groves looked out of a window after hearing a bang. He said: “A guy comes through the vehicle entrance wielding something, towards a copper, the copper tumbles.
“The man’s running towards Westminster Hall and then a plainclothes copper comes running out.
“Shoots him once from maybe 10 or 15 yards away with a handgun and then gets closer to him and shoots him again from over him and he doesn’t get up.”
The Met’s top anti-terror officer Assistant Commissioner Mark Rowley said: “This was a day we’ve planned for but hoped would never happen.”
Strict security measures were still in place around Westmister last night as anti-terror police searched the area.
Acting Met Commissioner Craig Mackay saw the incident unfold at the scene and is a “significant witness”.
At the time, MPs had been voting. They were locked in the Commons chamber and divisions lobbies watching events outside unfold on TV.
Schoolchildren were among members of the public locked in with MPs. Staff were told to stay in their offices.
An air ambulance landed in Parliament Square as the emergency services rushed to the scene.