It's now been confirmed that this morning's incident — in which a car collided with pedestrians and cyclists outside the Houses of Parliament — is being treated as a terrorist attack. If so, this will be the second terrorist attack to occur at this location within one and a half years. On 22 March 2017, five people were killed during an attack — again, involving a car — on Westminster Bridge and outside the Houses of Parliament.
Here are the facts about today's incident:
- At 7.37am this morning, a silver Ford Fiesta collided with barriers outside Parliament, striking pedestrians and cyclists
- Two people are reported to have been taken to hospital with 'non serious' injuries. A third was treated on the scene
- No one has been reported seriously hurt or killed
- Eyewitnesses have suggested the collision looked 'deliberate', although this has not been confirmed
- A man in his late 20s was arrested on the scene, and is in custody in south London
- Westminster station and Westminster Bridge are currently closed
- Parliament is currently not sitting, therefore most MPs — including the prime minister — were not in the area at the time of the attack
- Counter terrorism police are now leading an investigation
- The Mayor of London issued this statement on Twitter:
A man has been arrested after a car was driven into barriers outside the Houses of Parliament. Police have confirmed that the incident is being treated as a terrorist act. All Londoners, like me, utterly condemn all acts of terrorism on our city. https://t.co/9gFu3HYtae
— Mayor of London (@MayorofLondon) August 14, 2018
Londonist is not a news organisation as such: for rolling coverage, we suggest The Guardian or The BBC.
Our thoughts are with anyone affected by today's incident.