Last Updated: 9.20am, 24th March, 2017
The death toll from Wednesday’s attack in central London has risen to five with more than 20 of the 40 injured still in hospital.
At around 2.40pm on Wednesday, a car ran down pedestrians on Westminister Bridge – located alongside the Houses of Parliament – before crashing. The driver then reportedly walked into the precinct around the Houses of Parliament and tried to enter the buildings before stabbing a police officer. The assailant was then shot dead by an armed officer.
The stabbed policeman – identified as 48-year-old father Keith Palmer of the Diplomatic Protection Service – later died of his injuries. The other two victims, one of whom has been named as US tourist Kurt Cochran, who died were among pedestrians struck by the car on Westminister Bridge. A fourth victim, a 75-year-old man, has since died in hospital.
Three more police officers were among those injured when they were hit by the vehicle as well as some French schoolchildren.
Police have named the attacker as British-born Khalid Masood, 52, most recently living in the West Midlands. Eight people have been arrested following a series of raids.
UK Prime Minister Theresa May, who was in the Houses of Parliament at the time of the attack and evacuated soon after, has said the location of the attack was “no accident”.
“The terrorists chose to strike at the heart of our capital city, where people of all nationalities, religions and cultures come together to celebrate the values of liberty, democracy and freedom of speech,” she said.
“These streets of Westminster – home to the world’s oldest parliament – are engrained with a spirit of freedom that echoes in some of the furthest corners of the globe. And the values our Parliament represents – democracy, freedom, human rights, the rule of law – command the admiration and respect of free people everywhere. That is why it is a target for those who reject those values. But let me make it clear today, as I have had cause to do before: any attempt to defeat those values through violence and terror is doomed to failure.”
Ms May says the events also provided “a particular reminder of the exceptional bravery of our police and security services who risk their lives to keep us safe” and paid tribute to police and emergency services who responded to the incident.
London’s mayor, Sadiq Khan, also paid tribute to the response of police in a statement and said his heart “goes out to those who have lost loved ones and to everyone who has been affected”.
“I want to reassure all Londoners and all our visitors not to be alarmed – our city remains one of the safest in the world,” he said. “London is the greatest city in the world and we stand together in the face of those who seek to harm us and destroy our way of life. We always have, and we always will. Londoners will never be cowed by terrorism.”
Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull was among world leaders who condemned the attack. He said the attack was “an attack on parliaments, freedom and democracy everywhere”.
“Almost every element of our parliamentary tradition, here in Australia, is modelled on that of the houses of parliament in London,” he said. “We send our condolences, especially to the families of the victims, those injured, including a police officer murdered by the terrorist.”
Various cities around the world have responded by illuminating – or shutting off lights – on prominent buildings.
