Brewster
2018-08-15 01:07:15 UTC
London Metropolitan Police officials arrested a man who allegedly
drove into a group of cyclists and crashed into the barriers outside
the British Parliament in Westminster on Tuesday. The incident is
being treated as a terrorist incident, authorities said.
"Given that this appears to be a deliberate act, the method and this
being an iconic site, we are treating it as a terrorist incident and
the investigation is being led by officers from the Counter Terrorism
Command," Metropolitan Police assistant commissioner Neil Basu said
during a news conference.
Authorities are working to identify the driver and establish his
motive, Basu said, adding, "He is not currently cooperating.
PHOTO: Armed police point their weapons on a car that crashed into
security barriers outside the Houses of Parliament in London, Aug. 14,
2018.ITN via AP
Armed police point their weapons on a car that crashed into security
barriers outside the Houses of Parliament in London, Aug. 14,
2018.more +
Two people, a man and a woman, were taken to the hospital, while a
third person was treated at the scene for minor injuries, authorities
said. None of the injuries were life-threatening.
"I was getting off the bike and put my foot down, then there was a
sound like tires screeching," Geoffrey Woodman, a strategy consultant
who witnessed the incident, told the Press Association. "This car
turned round to the left and swerved into the wrong lane of traffic
and into the bank where all the cyclists wait."
Most of the cyclists managed to jump off their bikes, but a woman was
clipped by the hood of the car as it passed, he said.
Video showed the driver being dragged out of his car by a number of
police officers. The man, in his late 20s, was driving a silver Ford
Fiesta when he crashed into the barriers at 7:37 a.m. local time,
police said.
No weapons have been found in the car and no other suspects have been
identified, authorities said.
PHOTO: Police forensics officers work around a silver Ford Fiesta car
that was driven into a barrier at the Houses of Parliament in central
London, Aug. 14, 2018.Daniel Leal-Olivas/AFP via Getty Images
Police forensics officers work around a silver Ford Fiesta car that
was driven into a barrier at the Houses of Parliament in central
London, Aug. 14, 2018.more +
Metropolitan Police
?
@metpoliceuk
While we are keeping an open mind, the Met's Counter-Terrorism
Command is leading the investigation into the #Westminster incident.
1:23 AM - Aug 14, 2018
974
970 people are talking about this
Twitter Ads info and privacy
Streets around Parliament Square were blocked off as police vehicles
swarmed the area, video posted on social media showed. More than a
dozen emergency vehicles were on the scene. Wider cordons have since
been removed, while cordons around the immediate crime scene will
remain for some time, police said.
(MORE: Terror in the UK: A timeline of recent attacks)
(MORE: Khalid Masood identified by police as man behind London attack)
PHOTO: Armed police at St. Thomas hospital close to the scene of an
incident at Houses of Parliament in London, Aug. 14, 2018.Andy
Rain/REX via Shutterstock
Armed police at St. Thomas' hospital close to the scene of an incident
at Houses of Parliament in London, Aug. 14, 2018.
The Westminster subway station re-opened after it had been closed
earlier, the official Transport for London feed said in a tweet.
President Donald Trump weighed in, tweeting, "Another terrorist attack
in London...These animals are crazy and must be dealt with through
toughness and strength!"
Donald J. Trump
?
@realDonaldTrump
Another terrorist attack in London...These animals are crazy and must
be dealt with through toughness and strength!
4:42 AM - Aug 14, 2018
97.8K
38.1K people are talking about this
Twitter Ads info and privacy
The threat to the U.K. remains severe, British Prime Minister Theresa
May said in a statement.
"I would urge the public to remain vigilant -- but also to come
together and carry on as normal, just as they did after the sickening
attacks in Manchester and London last year," she said. "The twisted
aim of the extremists is to use violence and terror to divide us. They
will never succeed."
UK Prime Minister
?
@10DowningStreet
"My thoughts are with those injured in the incident in Westminster
and my thanks to the emergency services for their immediate and
courageous response." - PM @theresa_may
2:20 AM - Aug 14, 2018
1,386
772 people are talking about this
Twitter Ads info and privacy
This appears to be the second attack on Westminster in the past 18
months. In March 2017, 52-year-old Khalid Masood, a Muslim convert
with a criminal past, crashed his rented car into pedestrians on
Westminster Bridge and later stabbed a police officer outside of the
parliament building. Four people died in the attack, including the
officer. Masood was shot and killed by police.
PHOTO: Police at the scene of an incident outside parliament in
London, Aug. 14, 2018.Andy Rain/REX via Shutterstock
Police at the scene of an incident outside parliament in London, Aug.
14, 2018.
Since then, 12 terror plots have been thwarted in the U.K., Andrew
Parker, director general of the MI5, the U.K.'s domestic
counterintelligence and security agency, said in a speech in Berlin in
May.
Parliament was not in session on Tuesday. The House of Commons and
House of Lords are out of session from July 24 to Sept. 4.
https://abcnews.go.com/International/driver-arrested-crashing-barrier-british-parliament/story?id=57163025
drove into a group of cyclists and crashed into the barriers outside
the British Parliament in Westminster on Tuesday. The incident is
being treated as a terrorist incident, authorities said.
"Given that this appears to be a deliberate act, the method and this
being an iconic site, we are treating it as a terrorist incident and
the investigation is being led by officers from the Counter Terrorism
Command," Metropolitan Police assistant commissioner Neil Basu said
during a news conference.
Authorities are working to identify the driver and establish his
motive, Basu said, adding, "He is not currently cooperating.
PHOTO: Armed police point their weapons on a car that crashed into
security barriers outside the Houses of Parliament in London, Aug. 14,
2018.ITN via AP
Armed police point their weapons on a car that crashed into security
barriers outside the Houses of Parliament in London, Aug. 14,
2018.more +
Two people, a man and a woman, were taken to the hospital, while a
third person was treated at the scene for minor injuries, authorities
said. None of the injuries were life-threatening.
"I was getting off the bike and put my foot down, then there was a
sound like tires screeching," Geoffrey Woodman, a strategy consultant
who witnessed the incident, told the Press Association. "This car
turned round to the left and swerved into the wrong lane of traffic
and into the bank where all the cyclists wait."
Most of the cyclists managed to jump off their bikes, but a woman was
clipped by the hood of the car as it passed, he said.
Video showed the driver being dragged out of his car by a number of
police officers. The man, in his late 20s, was driving a silver Ford
Fiesta when he crashed into the barriers at 7:37 a.m. local time,
police said.
No weapons have been found in the car and no other suspects have been
identified, authorities said.
PHOTO: Police forensics officers work around a silver Ford Fiesta car
that was driven into a barrier at the Houses of Parliament in central
London, Aug. 14, 2018.Daniel Leal-Olivas/AFP via Getty Images
Police forensics officers work around a silver Ford Fiesta car that
was driven into a barrier at the Houses of Parliament in central
London, Aug. 14, 2018.more +
Metropolitan Police
?
@metpoliceuk
While we are keeping an open mind, the Met's Counter-Terrorism
Command is leading the investigation into the #Westminster incident.
1:23 AM - Aug 14, 2018
974
970 people are talking about this
Twitter Ads info and privacy
Streets around Parliament Square were blocked off as police vehicles
swarmed the area, video posted on social media showed. More than a
dozen emergency vehicles were on the scene. Wider cordons have since
been removed, while cordons around the immediate crime scene will
remain for some time, police said.
(MORE: Terror in the UK: A timeline of recent attacks)
(MORE: Khalid Masood identified by police as man behind London attack)
PHOTO: Armed police at St. Thomas hospital close to the scene of an
incident at Houses of Parliament in London, Aug. 14, 2018.Andy
Rain/REX via Shutterstock
Armed police at St. Thomas' hospital close to the scene of an incident
at Houses of Parliament in London, Aug. 14, 2018.
The Westminster subway station re-opened after it had been closed
earlier, the official Transport for London feed said in a tweet.
President Donald Trump weighed in, tweeting, "Another terrorist attack
in London...These animals are crazy and must be dealt with through
toughness and strength!"
Donald J. Trump
?
@realDonaldTrump
Another terrorist attack in London...These animals are crazy and must
be dealt with through toughness and strength!
4:42 AM - Aug 14, 2018
97.8K
38.1K people are talking about this
Twitter Ads info and privacy
The threat to the U.K. remains severe, British Prime Minister Theresa
May said in a statement.
"I would urge the public to remain vigilant -- but also to come
together and carry on as normal, just as they did after the sickening
attacks in Manchester and London last year," she said. "The twisted
aim of the extremists is to use violence and terror to divide us. They
will never succeed."
UK Prime Minister
?
@10DowningStreet
"My thoughts are with those injured in the incident in Westminster
and my thanks to the emergency services for their immediate and
courageous response." - PM @theresa_may
2:20 AM - Aug 14, 2018
1,386
772 people are talking about this
Twitter Ads info and privacy
This appears to be the second attack on Westminster in the past 18
months. In March 2017, 52-year-old Khalid Masood, a Muslim convert
with a criminal past, crashed his rented car into pedestrians on
Westminster Bridge and later stabbed a police officer outside of the
parliament building. Four people died in the attack, including the
officer. Masood was shot and killed by police.
PHOTO: Police at the scene of an incident outside parliament in
London, Aug. 14, 2018.Andy Rain/REX via Shutterstock
Police at the scene of an incident outside parliament in London, Aug.
14, 2018.
Since then, 12 terror plots have been thwarted in the U.K., Andrew
Parker, director general of the MI5, the U.K.'s domestic
counterintelligence and security agency, said in a speech in Berlin in
May.
Parliament was not in session on Tuesday. The House of Commons and
House of Lords are out of session from July 24 to Sept. 4.
https://abcnews.go.com/International/driver-arrested-crashing-barrier-british-parliament/story?id=57163025