London In Shock After Possible Terrorist Attack

2024 Author: Steven Freeman | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 08:15

Four people were killed, including a policeman and the attacker, in an attack on Wednesday in front of the British Parliament in London that authorities have called a "terrorist incident," British police reported.

In the attack in the heart of the British capital at about 2:40 pm local time, another 40 people were reportedly wounded.

The attacker was shot at the scene by the security forces and died, despite attempts by the emergency services to save his life.

Authorities have closed access to the area and a huge security device has been deployed, forcing parliamentarians to remain locked inside the House of Commons.

London Police Counter-Terrorism Officer Mark Rowe explained in a statement to the press that the incident started when a vehicle hit pedestrians crossing Westminster Bridge, including three police officers returning from a ceremony.

The same vehicle then crashed into the fence surrounding the British Parliament, located in the Palace of Westminster, and a man armed with a knife attempted to enter the building, he added.

In a subsequent appearance, he noted that they have been able to establish the identity of the person responsible for the attack, although he did not reveal it, adding that they suspect that the action is linked to Islamic extremism.

The images that have been seen of the place of the apparent attack show an off-road car on the sidewalk where the fence that separates the parliament from the street is located. A short distance away, on the bridge, several people could be seen lying on the ground being attended to.

The French government noted that three of the wounded are students from a secondary school in the Breton town of Concarneau who were visiting the British capital.

The balance of the attack fluctuated throughout the day and authorities went on to point out that there had been five deaths, to reduce the number to four on Thursday.