At 14.40 (GMT) the Metropolitan Police were called to the Parliament Square in central London. Reports included a person in the river, a car hitting pedestrians and a man armed with a knife.
Witnesses saw a car drive across Westminster Bridge and hit a number of pedestrians walking on the pavement.
Here’s what we’ve gathered so far via Guardian.
- Four people have died, including a police officer and the attacker
- At least 20 other people were injured. Twelve were taken to hospitals with serious injuries, and eight others treated at the scene. At least two are still in a critical condition.
- The assailant drove a car into pedestrians on Westminster Bridge killing two people, before crashing it outside Parliament and trying to enter the complex, armed with a knife.
- He stabbed a police officer who later died from the injuries, before armed police shot him.
- Police believe the attacker struck alone, but locked down the area around Westminster for several hours and searched nearby buildings as a precaution.
- Prime Minister Theresa May described the attack as “sick and depraved”, but said it would not undermine British values. Parliament will sit as normal on Thursday, she said.
- Three French high school students and four British university students were among those injured when the attacker drove into pedestrians.
- One woman was thrown or jumped into the Thames from the bridge. She was rescued but had sustained serious injuries.
- Three police officers returning from a ceremony, and two Romanians were also struck and wounded on the bridge.
- Minister for counter-terrorism Tobias Ellwood, a former soldier, raced to give first aid to the police officer who later died. Pictures showed him with blood on his face as he administered CPR.
- Scotland Yard said it had declared the attack in Westminster, which began at about 2.40pm London time, “a terrorist incident”.
- London mayor Sadiq Khan vowed “Londoners will never be cowed by terrorism” in a video statement.
- May, was evacuated from the parliament building within minutes and driven to Downing Street.
- The area was locked down and the Thames closed to all vessels between Vauxhall and Embankment as the Palace of Westminster and nearby buildings were searched by armed police.
- Some MPs were confined to the Commons chamber for nearly five hours after parliamentary business was suspended.
- About a thousand people waited hours in Westminster Abbey and many tourists were also trapped in pods on the London Eye.
- US president Donald Trump had spoken to May, his spokesman, Sean Spicer said, adding that the UK had the full support of the US government in responding to the attack.
- International leaders including the German chancellor, Angela Merkel, the French president, François Hollande, and the Spanish prime minister, Mariano Rajoy have sent messages of shock and solidarity.
- Extra police were on duty across London, and the Metropolitan police set up a casualty bureau for those worried about friends or family.
Our heart goes out to those affected by this terror attack in London.
Source https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2017/mar/22/attack-houses-parliament-london-what-we-know-so-far
