A motorist slammed into pedestrians and cyclists near Britain’s Houses of Parliament on Tuesday and police are treating the incident as an act of terror.
A man in his 20s was arrested on suspicion of terrorist offenses after the silver Ford Fiesta collided with rush-hour commuters before slamming into a barrier. Two people were hurt, but authorities said none of the injuries is life-threatening.
Armed police swooped into the area, arresting the driver and cordoning off streets surrounding the heart of Britain’s government. Police appealed to the public to stay away, and the Westminster Tube station was closed.
Images from Sky News and social media showed a man in a puffy black jacket who was surrounded by police and led away in handcuffs from a silver car.
BREAKING: There has been an incident outside of Westminster. Police are urgently clearing the area. More updates to follow. pic.twitter.com/mnKUVI7Npn
— Good Morning Britain (@GMB) August 14, 2018
#BREAKING VIDEO: Large police presence after car crashes into security barrier outside Parliament pic.twitter.com/wvsf0DgqLt
— Al Boe 🚨 BREAKING NEWS 🚨 (@AlBoeNEWS) August 14, 2018
Metropolitan Police says it is treating the crash outside Parliament as "a terrorist incident"
— Sky News Breaking (@SkyNewsBreak) August 14, 2018
Eyewitnesses described the car as being driven at high speed before hitting carriers. Several suggested it was deliberate.
“The car drove at speed into the barriers outside the House of Lords. There was a loud bang from the collision and a bit of smoke,” Ewelina Ochab told The Associated Press. “The driver did not get out. The guards started screaming to people to move away.”
Jason Williams, 45, from Kennington, also saw a car moving at high speed.
“It looked deliberate. It didn’t look like an accident,” he said. “How do you do that by accident? It was a loud bang.”
Heavy armed police presence around Westminster this morning. Police are investigating after a man drove a car into security barriers outside Parliament. Suspect in custody. pic.twitter.com/hkZNmGie0Z
— Good Morning Britain (@GMB) August 14, 2018
The area was the site of a terror attack in March 2017, when Khalid Masood ploughed a car into crowds on Westminster Bridge, killing four people. Masood abandoned his car and then stabbed and killed a police officer before being shot dead in a courtyard outside Parliament.
(AP)
One Response
probably just driving too fast to make it to minyan at the mosque.