London bleeds, 4 dead

Ashis Ray 

Tribune News Service

London, March 22 

Four persons, including the attacker and a police officer, were killed in Wednesday’s “terrorism incident” at the British Parliament, the police said. “Four persons have died. That includes the police officer who was protecting Parliament and one man we believe to be the attacker, who was shot by a police firearms officer,” Britain’s top counter-terrorism officer Mark Rowley told mediapersons. At least one woman was reported to have died while several are said to have sustained “catastrophic injuries.”

The attack comes on the first anniversary of the Belgian terror attacks. The worst terrorist attack in London occurred in July 2005 when four British Islamists killed 52 commuters.

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A man in his 40s is believed to have carried out today’s attack in the heart of central London. A section of the British media described him as “an Asian”. Driving a Hyundai i40, he ploughed through a crowd, injuring at least 20 pedestrians, and crashed the car into railings. He is then believed to have run through the gates of the Palace of Westminster — Britain’s Houses of Parliament — stabbing a police officer.

An eyewitness said: “I saw a man running with a very large kitchen knife. He was running really fast and went straight past the guards at the gate. I saw him stab a police officer two or three times. His colleague intervened and the officer managed to stagger away. I then heard two shots and the man went down.” Other witnesses reported one body on Westminster Bridge, right next to the Parliament building. Witnesses heard up to a dozen gunshots.

British Prime Minister Theresa May was seen being bundled into her official car, a Tata Motors built bullet-proof Jaguar. She was reported to be safe. Minutes after the incident, an emergency helicopter landed in Parliament Square as sirens of ambulances and police cars rang out. The London Police said a “full counter-terrorism investigation is underway” into the attempt to penetrate the Palace of Westminster — that houses the House of Commons and Lords and the iconic Big Ben.

Buildings in an around Parliament Square, where a statue of Mahatma Gandhi was installed in 2015, were on lockdown, including the Supreme Court and Westminster Abbey.

The House of Commons suspended its session as loud explosive sounds were heard inside the building. TV pictures showed several persons lying wounded on Westminster Bridge, some bleeding heavily. Another was reported to be under a bus.

London’s Police Headquarters, Scotland Yard, said: “Officers remain on the scene and we are treating this as a terrorist incident, until we know otherwise.” Amid confusing scenes, it appeared the incident may have unfolded at several locations.